Elon Musk has sparked his reach after making an armed gesture during Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, with many drawing comparisons. Nazi salute. The event took place at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena, where Musk thanked the crowd for their support, placing his right hand over his heart before extending the same arm straight out in front of him. He then turned and repeated the gesture to the audience behind him.
Many on social media platform X, which should own, immediately criticized the gesture, with some claiming it resembled the infamous Nazi salute. In response, Musk flatly dismissed the charge, writing, “They need better dirty tricks. ‘Everybody’s a Hitler attack’ is so tired.”
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a staunch Trump supporter, thanked the crowd, saying, “My heart goes out to you.” It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured after taking controversial action. The reaction was immediate, with some historians weighing in on the gesture. Claire Aubin, a historian specializing in Nazism in America, said Musk’s gesture seemed like a “segheel” to the Nazi salute.
Ruth Benghat, a professor of history at New York University, also called it a Nazi salute, adding that it was a “very belligerent one”. Andrea Stroupa, a close associate of Musk, shared a trip to the event on social media with the caption, “The Roman Empire is starting back with a Roman salute”. The Roman salute was widely used in Italy by Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime after its adoption.
Strupa deleted the post and clarified that Musk’s act was not a Nazi salute, but an expression of his feelings. He explained that Kasturi, who has autism, was trying to convey, I want to give you my heart, and emphasized that extremism should be frowned upon. Some have defended Musk despite the controversy, including the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to anti-Semitism. The ADL said the musket adjuster was likely a whimsical expression of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.
