Musk Accused of Giving Nazi Salute During Trump’s Inauguration Celebration | Technology news
Anti-Defamation League defends tech billionaire over ‘awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm’.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has come under fire after making hand gestures reminiscent of a Nazi salute during his speech celebrating Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
Speaking to Trump supporters hours after the Republican was inaugurated as the 47th US president on Monday, Musk hailed the outcome of the November 4 US presidential election as an “extraordinary victory”.
“This was a fork in the road for human civilization,” Musk said at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
“This one really mattered. Thank you for doing this! Thanks.”
Musk then slammed his right hand into his chest before extending his arm at an upward angle with his palm facing down and his fingers together.
Wait, did Musk just give the Nazi salute? pic.twitter.com/VZChlQXSYv
— Republicans Against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 20, 2025
The Tesla and SpaceX executive, who has been tasked with leading the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, then turned to the crowd behind him and repeated the gesture.
Musk’s actions immediately drew attention online, with some social media users accusing him of giving the infamous Sieg Heil salute associated with Adolf Hitler.
“This honestly couldn’t look more like a Nazi salute,” British journalist and commentator Owen Jones said in a post on X.
The gesture also drew attention from the Israeli media, with the Haaretz newspaper saying Musk concluded his statement with “the Roman salute, a fascist salute most commonly associated with Nazi Germany.”
Others defended Musk, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the most prominent organizations dedicated to countering anti-Semitism, which said the billionaire made “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
“At this point, all sides should give each other some grace, maybe even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath,” the ADL said in a post on X.
“This is a new beginning. Let us hope for healing and work for unity in the months and years to come.”
Al Jazeera did not immediately respond to requests for comment to Musk’s lawyer and a number of his companies.
Musk’s politics have taken a sharp turn to the right since he publicly endorsed Trump after the Republican narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July.
Earlier this month, the billionaire hosted Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany, for a chat on his social media platform X after he backed her party in February’s national election.
