The Daily Star Ireland
It was controversy and anger that marked the latest public gesture by Elon Musk, who made a strange movement during the inaugural event of US President Donald Trump. Critics said it looked like a “Nazi” or “fascist” salute; others say it was just enthusiasm.
Taking the stage at Washington’s Capital One Arena with thunderous applause, Musk expressed his excitement, shouting, “Yesssss,” and thanking the audience for their support. He repeated the importance of the moment, saying it was “a turning point in human civilization.” As he addressed the throngs, Musk placed his right hand over his heart, spread his fingers, then lifted the arm up at an angle to the crowd behind him, palms down and fingers together. He repeated the gesture to the crowd behind him, extolling their importance in cementing the future of civilization.
It immediately sparked an online controversy. The *Jerusalem Post* asked whether Musk was giving the notorious Nazi salute. Claire Aubin, a historian, described it as clearly a reference to Nazism, and Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on fascism, termed it a Nazi salute that was aggressive in nature.
The Anti-Defamation League, which monitors anti-Semitism, dismissed the comparison. “He appeared to give some awkward expression of enthusiasm, rather than the Nazi salute,” the organization stated, acknowledging that heightened scrutiny of such matters is understandable in light of public sensitivities.
The controversy was weighed in by Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said that “Musk’s gesture, unmistakably problematic, deserved condemnation.” Neither Musk nor Trump spokespeople comment on the story.
Just hours after the incident, Musk shared a Fox News video of his speech on X. In that video, the moment he made the controversial gesture while facing the cameras had been cut out. Along with that post, Musk wrote, “The future is so exciting.”
Reactions were mixed online, with some users coming to Musk’s defense and reading his gesture as a sincere acknowledgment of the audience, while others were critical of his actions and more broadly of his political affiliations.
Musk has faced criticism over his political affiliations in the past. He has publicly expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party widely criticized for its anti-immigration and anti-Islamic views and classified as extremist by German authorities. Earlier this month, Musk hosted a broadcast with the party’s leader on his social media platform. He also has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a controversial UK figure in prison for contempt of court. The figure has been associated with riots against immigration and faced legal troubles regarding libel against a Syrian refugee.
The incident at Trump’s inauguration event, combined with Musk’s political endorsements, has amplified criticism of his perceived alignment with far-right ideologies.
