Elon Musk, the notable CEO of Tesla, found himself at the center of an online storm after making an unusual gesture during his speech at Capitol One Arena.
This event, meant to celebrate President Donald Trump’s inauguration, took a twist that many found controversial.
Musk, visibly excited about the future possibility of humans landing on Mars and planting an American flag, pounded his chest and pointed an angular hand toward the sky—a move that some likened to a Nazi salute. He even turned his back to the audience to repeat the gesture toward the back of the stage.
Erin Burnett, a CNN presenter, remarked, “Standing ovations for Elon Musk. Undoubtedly, the most enthusiastic reception of the day,” while commenting on the peculiar act.
“You saw him coming out with that strange salute,” she continued, highlighting that the moment would be shown again for further clarity.
The dance of opinions on the internet was swift. Critics of Musk, an outspoken supporter of Trump, had mixed feelings about his gesture with potential political connotations.
Some took to social media platforms like Bluesky, where a user noted, “Yes, Elon did a Sieg Heil,” while others criticized him for performing a ‘Nazi salute.’
Strategist Sawyer Hackett shared a video on Twitter, noting, “Our new co-chair Elon Musk makes a Nazi salute on Trump’s first day of presidency.” Meanwhile, various liberals and MAGA critics flooded social media with videos of Musk’s gesture towards the crowd, calling it provocative.
Yet, his speech showed no explicit leanings towards fascism or Nazism. Musk, most likely, would deny any such insinuations. While critics were vocal, many observers speculated that Musk was instead doing a ‘Roman salute,’ traditionally used in ancient empires to greet commanders with respect and loyalty. However, this salute was later associated with fascist states, including Nazi Germany.
On the flip side, Musk’s supporters argued that the gesture was taken out of context. “Elon Musk was merely expressing his enthusiasm by reaching out to the crowd.
Every leftist will try to paint this as a Nazi salute,” said one X user, while another called for a balanced view, encouraging clarification that Musk was just enthusiastically connecting with the audience.
Batya Ungar-Sargon, an opinion editor at Newsweek, defended Musk by saying, “As someone with a history of critiquing Elon Musk, I am confident that this was not a Nazi salute.
Elon Musk is a friend to the Jewish community.” She added, “It’s just an exuberant man sharing his heart with the audience. We need to avoid unfounded outrage.”
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