Elon Musk made what appeared to be a Nazi salute at a rally at Capitol One Arena on Monday after Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., and whatever Musk's intentions were with the salute, Anyway Americans on social media are extremely uncomfortable as they debate what can be done. Refers to the future of the country
“This one is really important. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Musk said of Trump's re-election to the crowd of supporters.
The billionaire placed his right hand on his chest before giving a firm thumbs up. fully extended– Musk turned around and saluted the crowd behind him again. After paying respects Musk told the crowd: “My heart beats for you.” Thanks to you, the future of civilization is guaranteed.”
– Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 20, 2025
News cameras captured the greetings from the newlyweds. EnglishIncluding one to Musk's right, which was broadcast online by Reuters news agency– The salute is clearly similar to that used by the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s.
Mainstream news outlets seem reluctant to describe the greeting as having any clear connection to Nazism, for example. NBC News In conclusion, “Musk also touched his heart hard. before raising your hand and greeting the supporters.”
The New York Times live blog It made no mention of Musk's greeting, noting that he “spoke briefly at a rally at Capital One Arena and pledged to lead DOGE, his cost-cutting effort.” “To Mars”
Getty Images photos display captions on the website. that read“Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, gestures as he speaks during the kickoff parade inside Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025.”
The online reaction appeared to be downright shocking, with tweets that simply read “What?” being very common. Others sarcastically told Musk, “fragile–
And the Trump presidency began with the world's richest person giving a Nazi salute. pic.twitter.com/iGZtTB2UZB
— Mr. Beat (@beatmastermatt) January 20, 2025
Some people call this gesture a The “Roman Greeting” actually predates the Nazi era. But since the 1940s, the gesture has been completely associated with the Nazis, who created the fascist dictatorship that murdered 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.
Philip Bump of the Washington Post discusses Blue Sky Anyone who tries to defend Musk's greeting as It's a “Roman greeting” and doesn't have to be related to the Nazis. I did not argue in good faith.
“It's a Roman greeting” is an updated version of “Actually, Buddhists also use the swastika.” If you used it after 1945, you know that associations have changed.
— Philip Bump (@pbump.com– 20 January 2025 at 12:56
Musk himself shared all his videos. short words on X, although other users focused specifically on Nazi salutes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2025
People on social media are clearly upset by what they see as the Trump administration's embrace of fascism, but now Musk has paid tribute to the most evil regime of the century. At 20, vulnerable people will be even more worried that bad things will happen in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
Online Extremists Celebrate Musk's Salutation It was understood that it was a Nazi gesture.
Here are the predictions for 2025. The version the libs are worrying about is the fake mediocre version we made them believe was a joke. https://t.co/OmmFIozKts
– Anime Kaiser Willy II (@praesto04) January 20, 2025
Even some extremists refer to it as “Roman salute” while linking it to other neo-Nazi moments
It's been a long road since then. @Richard B. SpencerHeil Trump's Speech in 2016 to @elonmuskwords of @realDonaldTrumpFounding day in 2025
But after eight years Roman veneration officially regained its power. pic.twitter.com/7kMducfgTw
– Augustus Invictus (@EmperorInvictus) January 20, 2025
But a number of Musk's fans insist the billionaire didn't actually pay a Nazi salute, with far-right influencer Ian Miles Cheong slamming it. wrote that journalist Aaron Rupar had edited the clip in a misleading manner. It's not clear what Cheong meant, as everyone could see the greeting in person.
Left-wing propagandist Aaron Rupar disrespectfully cuts Elon Musk to make it look like he's doing a Roman salute at his celebration of America. This is the part he left behind.
pic.twitter.com/egdtyD4ewM— Ian Miles Chong (@stillgray) January 20, 2025
Gizmodo attempted to reach out to Musk for comment from Tesla and Musk's company X, but did not immediately hear back. We'll update this post if we hear back.