Why was Dilbert cartoon cut from NYT? Racism controversy explained amid Trump’s promise to intervene in Dilbert creator plea for medication

President Trump has promised to help Scott Adams obtain medication for cancer treatment. The author-cartoonist tweeted about seeking assistance from POTUS, who later replied on Truth Social, confirming that he’s “on it.” 

Scott Adams is well-known as the creator of Dilbert, which has been around since 1989. For decades, numerous newspapers, including The New York Times, published the comic strip. In early 2023, Dilbert’s distributor, Andrews McMeel Syndication, and other independent outlets announced dropping the comics. 

Newspapers such as the NYT, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and many more announced the decision after Adams was accused of being racist. On February 22, 2023, the cartoonist streamed an episode of his Real Coffee with Scott Adams podcast. During the stream, he referenced the Rasmussen Reports poll, a survey of a sample size of 1,000 adult Americans. 

In the poll, people were asked whether they agree with the statement, “It’s Okay to be white.” Coincidentally, the statement has reportedly been used as an alt-right and white supremacist slogan in the past. Adams highlighted that about 26% blacks disagreed with the statement, while 21% were unsure. He labeled them as a “hate group,” while saying: 

“So, if nearly half of all blacks are not okay with white people, according to this poll, not according to me, according to this poll, that’s a gate group. That’s a hate group.”

Out of all the books, political commentary, and cartoons made by Scott Adams, this will be remembered as his most important advice.

“The best advice I can give to White people, is to get the Hell away from Black people.”

-Scott Adams

pic.twitter.com/vqs1gzhkTK

— Uncommon Sense (@Uncommonsince76) September 9, 2025

He made a controversial suggestion to whites, asking them to “get the hell away from black people.” 

“I don’t want to have anything to do with them. And I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from black people. Just get the f*** away.” 

Days after the stream, Dilbert was dropped by the media across the US. The comic strip has continued after Scott Adams seemingly self-published it via his Locals.com community page. 

Elon Musk voiced his support for Scott Adams after the media dropped Dilbert

The SpaceX founder reacted to Adams’ comic strip being cut from various newspapers on X and called all media “racist.” In another tweet, he remarked: 

“For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites & Asians.  Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist.”

For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites & Asians.

Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America.

Maybe they can try not being racist.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2023

After Scott Adams addressed the backlash and Dilbert’s cancellation, Musk responded under his tweet: 

“I don’t agree with everything Scott says, but Dilbert is legit funny & insightful. We should stop canceling comedy!”

However, it was not the first time Scott Adams had triggered controversy for his statements. In 2022, he targeted President Biden on X and wrote: 

“I'm going to self-identify as a Black woman until Biden picks his Supreme Court nominee. I realize it's a long shot, but I don't want to completely take myself out of the conversation for the job.” 

Adams previously claimed in 2020 that he lost his show for being white and alleged that UPN decided to focus “on an African-American audience,” resulting in him losing his job. 

Scott Adams sought help from Trump in a Tweet on Sunday

The Dilbert creator has been battling prostate cancer, which he announced during a livestream in May. Adams told his audience: 

“I have the same cancer that Joe Biden has. I also have prostate cancer that has also spread to my bones, but I've had it longer than he's had it — well longer than he's admitted having it. I expect to be checking out from this domain sometime this summer.”

On Sunday, November 2, the cartoonist addressed President Trump on X and sought his help in obtaining medication for his metastasized prostate cancer. Adams wrote: 

“My healthcare provider, Kaiser of Northern California, has approved my application to receive a newly FDA-approved drug called Pluvicto. But they have dropped the ball in scheduling the brief IV to administer it and I can’t seem to fix that.” 

He added: 

“I am declining fast. I will ask President Trump if he can get Kaiser of Northern California to respond and schedule it for Monday. That will give me a fighting chance to stick around on this planet a little bit longer.” 

Adams highlighted that the medicine is not a cure but has given “good results to many people.” After his plea, Donald Trump posted a screenshot of the tweet on Truth Social and wrote, “On it!”