Musk admits he takes controversial weight loss drug opposed by RFK Jr

Billionaire entrepreneur and chief adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, touted that he was reaping the benefits of a controversial class of weight-loss drugs, after his fellow top Trump adviser, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the trendy new class of drugs was bad for Americans’ health.

“Ozempic Santa” Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Christmas Day, alongside a picture of himself in front of a well-decorated Christmas tree dressed as Santa – but without his signature big belly. “Like Cocaine Bear, but Santa and Ozempic!”

In a subsequent post, Musk clarified that he was taking a version of the brand called Mounjaro, but said the clunky name “doesn’t have the same sound.”

‘MRS. DOUBTFIREA STAR LOSES 120 POUNDS AFTER WEIGHT DRUG MAKES HIM FEEL ‘LIKE A NORMAL PERSON’

Trump tapped Musk — along with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — to head the future Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with the aim of reducing wasteful government spending and bureaucracy. Meanwhile, Kennedy is Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services and, if confirmed, Trump has given Kennedy permission to “run wild on health” as long as he doesn’t interfere with Trump’s domestic energy goals.

Musk’s holiday social media post turned heads, given that Kennedy had expressed opposition to semaglutide. Originally developed as a diabetes drug, semaglutide has been increasingly used in recent years for its appetite-suppressing effects.

“There’s a lot of pressure to sell it to the American people,” Kennedy said of the semaglutide drug Ozempic when asked by Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld about his thoughts on the drug in October. “They make this medicine in Denmark, and in Denmark they don’t recommend it for diabetes or obesity. They recommend changes in diet and behavior.”

“They’re counting on selling it to Americans because we’re so stupid and so addicted to drugs,” Kennedy added. He also concluded that the US can solve obesity crisis in America “overnight” if only they had access to better quality food and ate it.

WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS COULD SHOOT THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Kennedy ran on a platform for “Make America Healthy Again,” but Ozempic, he says, will not help in those efforts. Musk, however, said that “nothing would do more to improve public health” than expanding the availability of Ozempic.

During President Joe Biden’s final days in office, his administration proposed the expansion Medicare and Medicaid coverage for semaglutide to make them more accessible to those who want to take advantage of the drug’s weight loss benefits.

In addition to Musk, Kennedy could also potentially clash with Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Ph.D. Mehmet Oz, who also expressed support for drugs like Ozempic.

“I think the amount of benefit these drugs do in helping people lose weight and improve their cardiovascular system — and they could have long-term benefits in many other areas where obesity causes inflammation — is enormous,” Oz said. last year in a video posted on his Instagram account.

CHEAP OZEMPIC KNOCK-OFFS HAVE GROWN IN POPULARITY – BUT ARE THEY SAFE?

Kennedy, who could very well become Oz boss if both are confirmed by the Senate, appeared to tone down his criticism of the new weight-loss drug amid his efforts to win support from members of Congress for his nomination.

“The first line of response should be lifestyle. You should eat well, making sure you don’t become obese,” Kennedy said during a brief interview with CNBC at the New York Stock Exchange, before adding that anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic “have place” in the American medical community.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Representatives for Musk, Kennedy and Trump’s transition team did not provide comment to Fox News Digital for this story.