If you tuned into President Trump’s recent address to the nation, you’d be forgiven for thinking CBS had juiced the audio speed to 1.5 so viewers would not have to wait too long for the start of Survivor. He was yelling. He was defensive. (“I inherited a mess.”) His performance did not exactly quash rumors that 47 runs on concealer and stimulants. Immediately, the jokes poured in: “BREAKING: Pharmacies across the country announced they will be unable to fill Adderall prescriptions for a week because Trump used the entire national supply before tonight’s speech,” posted political scientist Tom Schaller on Bluesky.
Whether it’s the antics of the President, Olivia Nuzzi bonding with R.F.K. Jr. over her habit, the suspiciously sweaty Peter Thiel wannabes in Silicon Valley wed to their “performance enhancers,” or talents like Lily Allen making the drug sound particularly cool, Adderall is having a moment. All those kids with Attention Deficit Disorder and the pressure of college finals have grown up. They’re adults needing to make a living. More and more often, the work emergency that used to involve coffee and self-abasement now calls for a tiny blue (or gray, or orange, depending on the dosage) pill.
