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On the eve of Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration, Elon Musk took to the stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The SpaceX CEO, who will be co-leading the Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy, said:
“What we are looking, we are looking forward to um making a lot of changes, and you know… this victory is the start, really. There, they can, what matters going forward is to actually make significant changes, have those, make those changes, and… set the foundation for America to be strong for century, for centuries, forever… And make America great again… Um, so yeah, we are gonna do great things here.”
The video of his speech has garnered severe traction online. It shows Elon Musk struggling through it and raising his fists, seemingly celebrating Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election. At the end, he is seen shaking the hand of the President-elect as the latter greets him.
In the wake of the now-viral video, netizens are now wondering whether the Tesla CEO has a stutter. For instance, X user @peachpoached reshared journalist Aaron Rupar’s post and wrote in the caption:
“Elon talks a big game on the internet but he can barely get a sentence out without stuttering to complete incoherence. Not only that but he’s so severely lacking in charisma, he makes Zuckerberg look human. I almost felt bad for him ALMOST.”
Many others joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the platform. Some even accused Elon Musk of being high on ketamine and having a stutter while public speaking.
“He doesn’t know how to tell people that he wants to do things they won’t like,” a person wrote.
“That was awful - bro should be behind the scenes. He shouldn’t be giving speeches lol,” wrote another.
“How bout that word salad. Saying a lot but not really saying anything. What’s he nervous for? What’s he on?” a netizen asked.
“I didn't know he stuttered... and maga is okay with it, because he's maga, right?!...” another netizen wrote.
“He on that Special K trip,” an individual wrote.
Meanwhile, a few pointed out that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes public speaking difficult for him.
“Are you making fun of his Asperger’s Syndrome ‘tolerant’ liberal?” a user wrote.
“Are you making fun of him? You know d*mn well, public speaking is not his forte, and his Asperger's Syndrome probably isn't helping!” wrote another.
Asperger’s Syndrome refers to an autistic-spectrum-related developmental disorder characterized by sustained impairment in social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication.
Elon Musk revealed in 2021 that he has Asperger’s Syndrome
In May 2021, Elon Musk appeared on the American comedy sketch series Saturday Night Live, where he mentioned having Asperger’s Syndrome. He opened his monologue by saying:
"I don't always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak... which I'm told makes for great comedy. I'm actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger's to host ‘SNL.’
"Look, I know I sometimes say or post strange things, but that's just how my brain works. To anyone who's been offended, I just want to say I reinvented electric cars, and I'm sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?"
While the live audience cheered him on, many social media users at the time pointed out that comedian Dan Aykroyd also hosted the show and openly spoke about living with Tourette’s and Asperger’s Syndromes.
Later, in April 2022, Elon Musk doubled down on his claim at the TED2022 conference in Vancouver, Canada. He shared how, growing up, he was bad at “picking up” social cues that were “not intuitive.”
“I would just tend to take things very literally… but then that turned out to be wrong — [people were not] simply saying exactly what they mean, there's all sorts of other things that are meant, and [it] took me a while to figure that out.”
Elon Musk also said that it was “certainly possible” that his condition helped him establish a tech empire.
“I found it rewarding to spend all night programming computers, just by myself. … But I think that is not normal… My driving philosophy is to expand the scope and scale of consciousness so that we may better understand the nature of the universe,” he noted.
The 53-year-old also mentioned being “obsessed” with physics and trying to use it in the real world to explore the meaning of life.
As for his ketamine use, Elon Musk told CNN host Don Lemon during a March 2024 interview that he used Special K when he had “a sort of negative chemical state in my brain, like depression,” that is “not linked to any negative news.”
“Ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind,” he said.
He added that he used ketamine in “a small amount once every other week or something like that” and as a prescription drug from “an actual, real doctor.”
Elon Musk joked he was “almost always” sober during his late-night or early-morning social media interactions while refuting the rumor that he overused the drug, which wasn’t approved by the FDA. He also shared that by speaking openly about it, he wished it would “help” other people with similar conditions.
Over the years, The Wall Street Journal has repeatedly alleged that Elon Musk used Special K as a frequent recreational drug.
Donald Trump gave Elon Musk a shoutout during his January 19 pre-inaugural/ victory rally and called him on stage, along with the latter’s toddler son, X.
