Elon Musk’s Nazi salute at Trump rally sparks debate and outrage
Pravda Ukraine
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, sparked widespread controversy because of a gesture – a raising of his right hand – made during a rally following Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The gesture, captured on video, resembled a Nazi salute, prompting a wave of criticism and debate on social media and in the news.
Source: Mezha.Media, an IT news platform within Ukrainska Pravda’s holding company, citing Gizmodo.
During his brief speech, Musk thanked Trump’s supporters, saying: “This one [election] really mattered. I just want to say thank you for making it happen.” Musk placed his right hand on his chest and then raised it, repeating the gesture towards the crowd behind him. He concluded his remarks with, “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 20, 2025
Video footage from the event, including clips from Reuters and Getty Images, clearly shows that Musk’s gestures resembled Nazi salutes, widely known from the 1930s-40s. However, some major media outlets avoided directly labelling the gestures as a Nazi symbol. NBC News reported that Musk “forcefully touched his heart, before raising his hand and saluting supporters”, while The New York Times did not mention the gestures at all, instead focusing on Musk’s comments about his companies.
Outrage and confusion quickly spread across social media, with many users expressing concern over the display of Nazi symbolism during Trump inauguration celebrations.
And the Trump presidency begins with the richest person in the world giving a Nazi salute. pic.twitter.com/iGZtTB2UZB
— Mr. Beat (@beatmastermatt) January 20, 2025
Posts asking “What was that?” and sarcastic jokes about the gestures circulated widely.
— Secular Talk ([email protected]) (@KyleKulinski) January 20, 2025
Famous YouTuber JerryRigEverything commented on Musk’s gesture, writing on his X account, “I currently own 4 different Tesla vehicles. By the end of 2025 I will own zero Tesla vehicles.”
I currently own 4 different @Tesla vehicles.
by the end of 2025 i will own zero @Tesla vehicles. https://t.co/vlk5rgG46k— JerryRigEverything (@ZacksJerryRig) January 20, 2025
Some commentators referred to the gesture as a “Roman salute”, which historically predated the Nazi regime. However, since the 1940s, this gesture has been almost exclusively associated with the Nazis.
Musk shared a video of his speech on X but has not commented on the controversy surrounding the gesture.
The incident was praised by far-right extremist groups, who saw the gestures as intentional and in line with their ideologies. Meanwhile, critics, including human rights advocates and political commentators, expressed serious concern about the potential normalisation of fascist symbolism in public discourse.
To date, Musk has not commented on his intentions or addressed the growing wave of criticism, leaving many with questions regarding the meaning behind the gesture made by one of the most influential figures in both the tech world and US politics.
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