A Pentagon report highlights drug abuse in the White House under President Trump. Now the first eyewitnesses are coming forward – and painting a wild picture.
For many, it is the highlight of their career: Anyone who has made it to the White House as part of the administration works at the center of power. The pressure is correspondingly great. This was apparently even more true under Donald Trump than under other US presidents. Together with a lax understanding of the rules, this led to a White House in a frenzy.
This was revealed for the first time in a report by the US Department of Defense in January. Apparently largely without medical examinations or prescriptions, the White House medical unit handed out prescription sedatives and stimulants. Even the distribution of hard drugs is said to have been hardly documented. “It was a Wild West,” explains a witness in a Rolling Stone report. “It was all very relaxed. Whatever anyone needed, they just got it.”
Drug use increased under Trump
The US Department of Defense was responsible for the investigation because the White House Medical Service is part of the military office there. The reason was an increase in complaints in 2018. And indeed: although a period from 2009 to 2018 was investigated, the number of violations under Donald Trump literally skyrocketed. According to the authorities' findings, there was apparently hardly any documentation or even a medical examination for the issue. It is known which medications were purchased. However, it is difficult to understand who took what and why. “The entire White House medical branch has deep and systemic problems,” the report found.
According to the Pentagon's findings, the sedatives zolpidem and alprazolam as well as stimulants such as Adderall and Modafinil were particularly widespread. “We just packed little plastic bags with Modafil and Alprazolam,” a witness told Pentagon investigators. “And then we gave them out.”
From emergency medication to everyday drug
The use apparently continued to escalate, reports Rolling Stone, which, as a result of the Pentagon investigation, found several administration employees who were willing to talk about their drug use and that of their colleagues. The White House was “swamped by speed” under Trump's presidency,” an employee reported. The narcolepsy drug Modafil, for example, was also issued in previous administrations to get jet lag under control during government trips. According to one, this is what it is for Source of “Rolling Stone” was taken in 99 percent of previous editions in Trump's administration.
From entry-level employees to the highest levels of management directly under the President and First Lady, numerous employees have used the stimulant to cope with the extreme stress levels of this administration and its camp battles, multiple sources told the magazine. In order to calm down and compensate for the increased nervousness caused by the stimulants, many people then counteracted it with sedatives.
A combination of sedatives such as Xanax and alcohol is also said to have been common – although it is considered life-threatening. “Try working for him and not downing pills with alcohol,” one employee said, referring to Trump.
Out with it
A certain level of naturalness has developed among both the administration employees and the medical staff. Employees confidently requested to receive certain substances without providing medical examinations or prescriptions. “She just came in and demanded it,” a witness recalled of an aide to First Lady Melania Trump. When she was refused the sedative Xanax, she literally stormed out. At the same time, pressure to spend the funds became established. Several employees told the Pentagon they were afraid they would be transferred or fired if they didn't play along.
The lax documentation is also a problem because, at the request of former White House chief medical officer Ronny Jackson, harder substances such as fentanyl, morphine and even ketamine were purchased in addition to traditional medication. Although Jackson emphasized that these were emergency supplies for extreme cases – his example was an intruder who could impale himself on the fence of the White House – due to the chaotic documentation, according to the Pentagon, it is difficult or impossible to understand whether and who accessed these supplies.
By the way, no one commented on possible drug use by President Trump himself – at most indirectly. His former press secretary Stephanie Grisham told Rolling Stone that it was exhausting to accompany him on trips abroad, recalling working with Trump, about whom there had always been rumors of stimulant use. “You're on a plane with a president who never sleeps. And then you land in a foreign country and you have to be fit and ready.”
Sources:Pentagon investigation report, Rolling Stone, Washington Post
I am Bryce, a writer for Southshore Journal, and I bring my passion for general news to our dynamic team. My commitment to editorial quality and the responsibility of informing guide my daily efforts. Working in collaboration with our talented journalists and editors, I strive to provide accurate and current information for our attentive audience.