Elon Musk is now responding to the controversy he sparked when he delivered back-to-back gestures during his speech at Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration, which many saw as him performing a “Nazi salute.”
Rather than outright deny that he was emulating a fascist salute when he shot his right arm in an angular direction with the palm facing down, the Tesla CEO and “first buddy” instead said his critics needed “better dirty tricks” because attacking their political opponents as Adolf Hitler is “sooo tired.”
Following Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, Musk — who provided significant funding to the president’s successful campaign and is tasked with running a meme-based government efficiency council — took the stage at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., to sing Trump’s praises in a short and excitable speech.
While the crowd roared in approval, the world’s richest man told the MAGA supporters he wanted to “say thank you for making it happen” before emphatically slapping his right hand into his chest. At that point, he threw his right arm diagonally into the air, fingers together, and his palm down.
With the audience going wild, the Tesla CEO turned around and repeated the salute, this time towards the back of the stage where an American flag was hanging above. “My heart goes out to you,” he added, putting his hand on his chest again. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you!”
With the Anti-Defamation League defining a Nazi salute as “raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down,” and Musk having already come under fire for sympathizing with extremists and far-right political parties with neo-Nazi ties, the reaction to the gesture was swift and severe. On top of that, the backlash comes after Democrats repeatedly warned during the campaign that a Trump victory would lead to “fascism.”
During CNN’s inaugural coverage, anchors Erin Burnett and Kasie Hunt noted that Musk had given an “odd-looking salute” that was evocative of things that we have seen through history” and “not something you typically see at American rallies.” The network also immediately replayed the moment, saying their “viewers are smart and can take a look at it.”
Others, however, felt what they had just seen was explicitly clear.
“Our new co-president Elon Musk gives a Nazi salute on day one of Trump presidency,” Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett tweeted while sharing a clip of the X (formerly Twitter) owner. “Yeah Elon gave a Sieg Heil,” another user posted on Bluesky. Spain’s deputy prime minister even quit X over the salute.
Additionally, other observers noted that Musk was performing a “Roman salute” and that far-right extremists were excited over the gesture being aired to a television audience of millions. While the Roman salute was initially performed by soldiers in the ancient empire as a greeting to commanders to show loyalty and respect, it was later adopted by the Italian fascist regime – and a form of it was eventually used by Nazi Germany.
Historians of fascism and neo-Nazism also weighed in following Musk’s speech, saying that they believed Musk’s gesture was a “sieg heil” and that viewers “should believe your eyes. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, added: “Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.”
Defenders of Musk pushed back, however, suggesting that the gesture was just another example of the tech billionaire exhibiting social awkwardness on a big stage. “As a person with a *strong* track record of criticizing Elon Musk, I feel extremely confident asserting that this was not a Nazi salute. Elon Musk is a friend to the Jews,” Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon claimed. “This is a man with Aspergers exuberantly throwing his heart to the crowd. We don’t need to invent outrage.”
The ADL, which Musk had previously threatened to sue for accusing him of platforming antisemitism, also ran to the tech mogul’s defense. The organization and its chief, Jonathan Greenblatt, have been criticized for flip-flopping on Musk following the October 7 Hamas attacks and subsequently praising his “leadership in fighting hate.”
“This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety. It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” the ADL said in a statement. “In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”
