Billionaire businessman and senior advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, elon musk, He announced he was reaping the benefits of a controversial class of weight-loss drugs, after fellow Trump senior adviser Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the trendy new class of drugs was harmful to Americans' health.
Musk posted “Ozempic Santa” on X, formerly Twitter, on Christmas Day, along with a photo of himself in front of a well-decorated Christmas tree dressed as Santa Claus — but without his signature big belly. “Like a cocaine bear, but Santa and Ozimbek!”
In a later post, Musk explained that he's taking a brand-name version called Mounjaro, but said the old name “doesn't have the same tone.”
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Musk has been tapped by Trump — along with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — to head the soon-to-be project. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) It aims to reduce wasteful government spending and red tape. Meanwhile, Kennedy is Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, and if confirmed, Trump has given Kennedy permission to “go into health” as long as it doesn't conflict with Trump's domestic energy goals.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk talks with Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Musk's social media post over the holidays turned heads, considering Kennedy expressed his opposition to semaglutide. Originally developed as a diabetes drug, semaglutide has been widely used in recent years for its appetite-suppressing effects.
“There's a huge push to sell this to the American people,” Kennedy said of Ozempic semaglutide when asked for his thoughts on the drug in October by Fox News' Greg Gutfeld. “They make this medicine in Denmark, and in Denmark they don't recommend it for diabetes or obesity. They recommend dietary and behavioral changes.”
Kennedy added: “They are counting on selling it to Americans because we are so stupid and drug addicts.” He also concluded that the United States could solve this problem Obesity crisis In America “overnight” if they could get and eat better quality food.
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Kennedy ran on a platform of “Make America Healthy Again” But Ozimbek, he says, will not help in these efforts. However, Musk said that “nothing would do more to improve public health” than making Ozempic more widely available.
During President Joe Biden's final days in office, his administration proposed expansion Medicare and Medicaid coverage for semaglutides To make it more widely available to those who want to reap the weight loss benefits of the drug.
President-elect Trump shared a McDonald's meal with Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Donald Trump Jr/X)
Along with Musk, Kennedy is also likely to take issue with Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Who also expressed support for medications like Ozempic.
“I think the amount of good that these drugs do by helping people lose weight and improve their cardiovascular system — and they may have long-term benefits in a lot of other areas as well, where obesity causes inflammation — is enormous,” Oz said. Last year in a video he posted on his Instagram account.
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Kennedy, who could become President of Oz if approved by the Senate, appears to have toned down his criticism of the new weight-loss drug amid his efforts to garner support for his nomination from members of Congress.
Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes remarks at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel on August 23, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, ahead of his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and throw his support behind Trump. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
“The first line of response should be lifestyle. It should be eating well, making sure you don't get obese,” Kennedy said during a quick interview with CNBC at the New York Stock Exchange, before adding this anti-obesity statement. . Obesity drugs like Ozempic “have a place” in the American medical community.
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Representatives for Musk, Kennedy and the Trump transition team did not provide comment to Fox News Digital for this story.
