Elon Musk twice raises his right arm in a Nazi salute at the Trump inauguration and promptly starts trying to blow it off as no big deal -- will the public accept that?

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Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's most prominent supporter and adviser, made two Nazi salutes during a post-inauguration rally in Washington, and not surprisingly, Musk and his allies already are trying to convince the public it was no big deal. Will that strategy work? It's unclear at the moment, but many observers seem to have no doubt about what they saw. And Musk's salute is particularly concerning, coming shortly after he endorsed a far-right group in Germany that is known for its racist agenda -- and was supported in that action by Vice President J.D. Vance. Does that mean the three best-known figures in the Trump administration (Musk, Vance, and Trump himself) are racists? This should be a proud day for Americans, especially those who voted for Trump. Does it feel good to support likely the most racist presidential team in U.S. history? If the answer is yes, you might want to look in the mirror and ask, "Is there something wrong with me? How did I get this way?"

While you are at it, you might ask, "How did Elon Musk get this way, and do I really want to be associated with him?" Martin Pengelly, of The Guardian, tries to help answer that question under the headline "Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally; Tech billionaire wades into controversy after shooting right arm on upwards diagonal during celebrations of Trump":

Elon Musk waded into controversy on Monday when he gave back-to-back fascist-style salutes during celebrations of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.

“I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” the owner of SpaceX, X and Tesla, the richest person on earth and a major Trump donor and adviser, told Trump supporters at the Capital One Arena in Washington.

Musk then slapped his right hand into his chest, fingers splayed, before shooting out his right arm on an upwards diagonal, fingers together and palm facing down.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against antisemitism, defines the Nazi salute as “raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down”.

As the crowd roared, Musk turned and saluted again, his arm and hand slightly lower.

“My heart goes out to you,” Musk said, striking himself on the chest again. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you. We’re gonna have safe cities, finally safe cities. Secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff. And we’re gonna take ‘Doge’ to Mars.”

That was a reference to the so-called “department of government efficiency,” the federal cost-cutting effort to which Musk was appointed by Trump, and remarks in the inaugural address in which Trump said the US would send astronauts to Mars.

Musk asked his audience to imagine American astronauts planting the flag on another planet, miming such actions and shouting: “Bam! Bam!”

He was speaking in advance of Trump’s appearance at the arena, for inaugural parade events moved indoors due to cold weather and for the signing of executive orders on stage.

A crowd of Americans roared with approval as Musk twice gave the Nazi salute? I never thought I would write that sentence, but then again, our nation seems to have become warped beyond recognition. Pengelly writes:

Social media users expressed shock at Musk’s gesture. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, said: “Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.”

Musk did not immediately comment, though he did repost footage of his remarks that included the second salute and endorsed memes seeking to turn footage of his salutes into jokes.

 

One X user wrote: “Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing?”Musk wrote, “Yeah exactly” and added a “yawning” emoji.

 

Nonetheless, Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, described Musk delivering “a Roman salute, a fascist salute most commonly associated with Nazi Germany.”

 

The ADL, meanwhile, says that in Germany between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi salute “was often accompanied by chanting or shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ or ‘Sieg Heil.’ Since world war two, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have continued to use the salute, making it the most common white supremacist hand sign in the world.”

 

In a statement posted to social media later on Monday, the ADL said: “This is a delicate moment. 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 Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge. 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.”

Others were not in such a forgiving mood, Pengelly reports:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a high-profile progressive Democratic congresswoman from New York, blasted the ADL: “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity. 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 that message, saying Ocasio-Cortez “has reached Stage 5 [Trump Derangement Syndrome] – fully unhinged”.

Trump has widely been accused of being a white supremacist and indeed compared to Hitler – not least by JD Vance, now Trump’s vice-president, before the former Marine and author entered Republican politics and changed his tune.

Musk’s engagement with and support for the global far right continues to prove controversial. Last week, he hosted Alice Weidel, leader of Alternative für Deutschland (AFD), a far-right German party, for a conversation on X. Weidel contended that Hitler “wasn’t a conservative, he wasn’t a libertarian, he was a communist, socialist guy, and we are the opposite”.Musk agreed. On Monday, some prominent far-right social media users celebrated Musk’s gestures onstage in Washington, however he had meant them. As first reported by Rolling Stone, Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group, wrote on Telegram: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.” Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a far-right social media platform, also wrote: “Incredible things are happening already.” The New Republic (TNR) contributed to the news coverage under the headline "Did Elon Musk Seriously Just Do a Nazi Salute at Trump’s Inauguration? Um, why did Elon Musk repeat the same hand gesture twice? What was Musk thinking when he decided to point his arm unambiguously in a fascist symbol? It would seem that the billionaire tech CEO and major Trump backer doesn’t care if he is called a Nazi or racist anymore now that Trump is officially president.

Just one month ago, Musk came out in full support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been accused of neo-Nazi sympathies. Less than two weeks ago, Musk hosted AfD leader Alice Weidel in a livestream on X, where the pair dismissed Adolf Hitler as a “communist.” Musk has also voiced his support for British neo-Nazi Tommy Robinson in an attempt to influence politics in that country. All of these would seem to suggest that despite earlier denials, Musk does seem to harbor actual Nazi sympathies. 

Of course, the tech mogul is probably going to claim later that he was trolling the libs, or that the media is out to get him, or something else dismissive. He can probably count on Trump defending his gesture, claiming that he didn’t see it, or having no idea what it means. After all, Trump has defended Hitler in the past. But one thing is clear: Every Nazi sympathizer who has a soft spot for Trump is probably feeling emboldened.