Elon Musk explains why he 'simply can't' go out in public following Charlie Kirk's death

The shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk has left the world's richest man afraid to go out in public, as it 'only takes one mistake' in the current political climate to end up dead.

Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk revealed the anxiety he faces in the wake of the conservative firebrand's death in a rare interview with Katie Miller, a former staffer in President Trump's first term and wife to key adviser Stephen Miller.

Musk shared his fear on the former DOGE spokesperson's podcast after being asked if he could remember the last time he went to a grocery store.

"These days, particularly in light of Charlie Kirk's murder, there are serious security issues,” he said on Miller's podcast.

"It's not that I don't want to," Musk, who has a $500 billion net worth, added. "I simply can't."

Charlie Kirk's assassination has left Elon Musk fearing for his safety (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

31-year-old Kirk's public killing in September has left the SpaceX founder feeling like he's living life on 'hardcore mode', where he too could become the victim of an assassin's bullet if he makes 'one mistake'.

He told Miller: "It certainly reinforced the severity of the situation where life is on hardcore mode. You make one mistake and you're dead.”

54-year-old Musk, who attended Kirk's memorial service, has called the people who celebrated his murder 'evil' and warned conservatives 'either we fight back, or they will kill us'.

But while Musk has no problem weighing in on politics, it became clear in the interview that he had some major regrets about the past year and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was only 'somewhat successful'.

Musk stepped down from his role overseeing DOGE as a 'special government employee' in May, with him voicing his disappointment over the Trump administration.

Miller asked Musk if he would do it all over again if given the opportunity to go back to the start of the year, when he was rarely seen away from Trump's side in the Oval Office.

"I mean no, I don't think so," Musk responded, saying that he would instead have 'worked in my companies', rather than become the face of the administration's sweeping cuts to international aid programs and the federal workforce.

Musk's role at the top of the Trump administration caused his car sales to slump (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

DOGE's slash and burn approach to government expenditure sparked widespread anger at the unelected South African mega-billionaire's gutting of the state - causing major issues for Tesla.

He admitted that 'they wouldn't have been burning the cars' at his dealerships, which became the focal point for public displeasure at his increasing role in the state.

In April, following a spate of vandalism against Tesla Cybertrucks, the company announced that sales had fallen to a three-year low as a result of 'changing political sentiment'.

But Musk also defended DOGE's stated goal of cutting waste, with the shelved department stopping 'a lot of funding that really just made no sense'.