Elon Musk appears to do Nazi salute at Trump inauguration rally
The tech billionaire stiffly extended his arm to the crowd twice while giving a speech
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena. Courtesy of Getty Images
By Mira Fox January 20, 2025
“I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you,” Elon Musk said at an inauguration event at the Capitol One Arena. Then he thumped his hand on his chest and extended his arm straight out in what looked, to many online, like a Sieg Heil salute. He turned to face the other side of the arena and repeated the gesture.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 20, 2025
“My heart goes out to you,” he added. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”
Online, Musk’s supporters defended the gesture, saying it was simply a gesture illustrating the sentiment of “my heart goes out to you” by touching his heart and then pointing to the crowd. But many others compared the stiff-armed salute to photos of Nazi soldiers saluting Hitler.
The tech magnate and incoming Trump administration leader is famously clumsy. Still, since taking over Twitter and renaming it X, he has demonstrated support for fringe and extremist beliefs, reinstating numerous far-right and white nationalist accounts that had been banned from the platform for spreading hate speech and conspiracy theories, lending credence to the theory that the salute was meant to evoke the Nazi party.
The Anti-Defamation, long seen as the arbiter of whether gestures or statements are antisemitic, was conciliatory, calling Musk’s move “awkward” and declaring it “not a Nazi salute.”
“This is a delicate moment,” the group posted on X Monday evening. “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,” ADL’s post continued. “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.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a leader of the progressive left who has also spoken out forcefully against antisemitism, was among many who condemned ADL’s response. “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity,” she said, also on X. “People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all.”
Musk responded to the online debate on X, saying “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Musk has said the importance of free speech outweighs hate speech, and that he trusts in user-driven features such as Community Notes to police the platform. Nevertheless, antisemites including Nick Fuentes have thrived on the platform; Fuentes live-streamed his own commentary during Trump’s inauguration ceremony, during which he called the choice to include a rabbi “a stain on a beautiful ceremony.”
But Musk’s support for antisemitism and conspiracy theories goes beyond simply reinstating banned accounts. He has replied positively to numerous tweets from well-known antisemites such as Gab founder Andrew Torba, endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theories and promoted the AfD, a far-right German political party.
While Musk has gone viral for clumsiness in the past, the gesture during his speech was oddly sharp; his arm forcefully thrusts out twice as he turns to the crowd. The accompanying speech also referenced Trump saving “civilization” just as the Nazi party portrayed itself as saving society from the scourge represented by Jews.
Even if Musk did intend to do a Sieg Heil, however, it’s still protected as free speech — in real life just like on X.
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