In wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Elon Musk says security issues keep him from spending much time in public

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In wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Elon Musk says security issues keep him from spending much time in public

'You make one mistake, and you're dead,' Musk said of making public appearances

Marc Tamasco Fox News

Published

December 11, 2025 1:38pm EST

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Elon Musk says security issues prevent him from going out in public following Charlie Kirk's murder

Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared on "The Katie Miller Podcast" on Tuesday, where he told host Katie Miller that security issues prevent him from going out in public following Charlie Kirk's assassination.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that security issues have prevented him from going out in public following the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk in September.

In a Tuesday interview on "The Katie Miller Podcast," Musk explained how Kirk’s murder has intensified his need for personal protection, making public appearances significantly more challenging from a security standpoint.

Miller — the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller — asked the Tesla CEO when he had last been able to do "something extremely ordinary" like going shopping out in public.

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Elon Musk on the set of "The Katie Miller Podcast" on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Screenshot/"The Katie Miller Podcast")

"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, and these days — particularly in light of Charlie Kirk's murder, there are serious security issues," he responded. "It's not that I don't want to. I simply can't."

Following up, the host asked Musk whether Kirk's murder changed how he operates, and whether he's always felt uneasy about making public appearances.

"It certainly reinforced the severity of the situation where life is on hardcore mode," he told Miller. "You make one mistake, and you're dead… it only takes one mistake."

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Following Kirk's death, Musk became adamant about lowering the temperature in the country, calling out the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for their "Glossary of Extremism and Hate" in September.

The ADL removed the glossary from its website after receiving backlash from Musk and Republican lawmakers for listing TPUSA as an extremist group.

TPUSA's background page on the ADL website fell under the "Center of Extremism" tag and described the conservative group as having ties to "a range of right-wing extremists and has generated support from anti-Muslim bigots, alt-lite activists and some corners of the white supremacist alt-right."

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Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah, prior to his assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
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Well-wishers add to a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters in honor of Charlie Kirk, the late 31-year-old founder and CEO of the organization, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP/Ross D. Franklin)

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The ADL also listed dozens of controversial statements tied to TPUSA members or event speakers dating as far back as 2015, and wrote that Kirk used the movement to promote "Christian nationalism."

In response to the listing, Musk wrote on X that the "ADL hates Christians," which makes it a "hate group."

He continued in a separate post, "Using such false and defamatory labels about people and organizations encourages murder."

Explaining the decision to retire the glossary, the ADL said on September 30 in an X post that the group "saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused."

The ADL added, "At ADL, we always are looking for how we can and should do things better. That's why we are moving to retire the Glossary effectively immediately. This will allow ADL to explore new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively. It will keep us focused on ensuring we do what we do best: fighting antisemitism and hate in the most impactful ways possible."

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Fox News' Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

In wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Elon Musk says security issues keep him from spending much time in public