Elon Musk was using drugs more heavily than previously known while on the campaign trail to help elect Donald Trump president, worrying some people close to the mercurial billionaire, the New York Times reported.
The chief executive officer of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX traveled with a medication box that held about 20 pills and was taking so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder, according to the report, which cited private messages and interviews with people who know or work with Musk. He also took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms on occasions, the New York Times said.
The report adds to Musk’s troubles as the world’s richest person formally steps away from his role advising Trump to return to a business empire under stress.
Tesla’s sales have slumped in part because of a backlash to Musk’s political activities and bombastic personality, while SpaceX this week suffered another setback in a key rocket program. Tesla shares rose less than 1% as of 11:28 a.m. in New York. The stock is down 11% this year, largely recovering from a deep slide in the first quarter.
In a statement, the White House lauded Musk for leaving his companies to work with the administration, without directly addressing New York Times’ reporting.
“In just four months, Elon has accomplished more for American taxpayers than many career politicians — a fact often overlooked by the legacy media,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields.
Musk will join Trump in Washington on Friday for a televised sendoff. “This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Representatives for Musk, Tesla and SpaceX didn’t respond to requests from Bloomberg for comment.
Musk was also juggling turmoil in his personal life involving romantic partners and legal battles over his children, according to the report.