Billionaire MAGA activist Elon Musk claims that being in public puts him at risk, particularly in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The 54-year-old Tesla CEO expressed his concerns on “The Katie Miller Podcast,” which is hosted by the wife of White House advisor Stephen Miller.
In addition to saying his largely unpopular work with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was only “somewhat successful” and not something he’d do again, Musk indicated he no longer feels safe in crowds.
“When’s the last time you did something extremely ordinary like go to Target or CVS?” Musk was asked.
“I can’t go to things where there’s the general public because… there’s an immediate ‘Can I have a selfie?’ line that forms,” he replied. “And these days, particularly in light of Charlie Kirk’s murder, there are serious, um, security issues.”
Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist, was assassinated in October while speaking on a Utah college campus. Authorities charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with his murder. The suspect’s motive remains unclear, though there’s no indication he’s part of a larger plot.
According to Musk, he wouldn’t mind spending more time in public, but the aftermath of Kirk’s death has erased that option.
“It certainly reinforced the severity of the situation where life is on hardcore mode,” Musk claimed. “You make one mistake and you’re dead and it only takes one one mistake.”
An April Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll showed that only 35% of respondents approved of Musk’s performance with DOGE, which strived to reduce government spending by slashing jobs and eliminating programs.
Musk told Miller — who also worked with DOGE — that had he focused on his companies and not worked with the Trump administration, protesters probably wouldn’t have begun burning his Tesla automobiles in worldwide protests.
The South African native has also drawn negative attention for his support of right-wing political movements abroad.
