Elon Musk responds to accusations he made Nazi salute at Trump inauguration

Elon Musk has responded to allegations that he performed a Nazi salute at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, dismissing it as “dirty tricks” by critics, but not outwardly denying the accusations.

The world’s richest man and close ally of Trump, tasked with running the president’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” sparked outrage and an avalanche of online backlash when he took the stage to speak at Monday’s inauguration and made the one-armed gesture not once, but twice.

He thanked the crowd for “making it happen,” before slamming his right hand onto his chest and then thrusting it out into the air straight ahead. He then turned around and did the same action for those sitting behind the stage.

“My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured,” he said, after throwing his arm forward the second time.

Masha Pearl, the executive director of the Blue Card, a foundation that supports Holocaust survivors, told the New York Times that she was “deeply troubled” by Musk’s gesture, calling it a “a Nazi salute.”

“Elon Musk has been engaged with antisemitic incidents in the past. Because of that, it was an unmistakable symbol of hate, of violence, of genocide.”

Claire Aubin, a historian who specializes in Nazism within the United States, said Musk’s gesture was a “sieg heil,” or Nazi salute.

“My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,” she posted on X, writing to those calling the gesture a reference to Nazism.

Later that day, Musk dismissed the criticism in a post on X, the social media platform he owns.

“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote.

He also reposted a handful of other posts that sought to turn the footage of the salute into jokes.

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“Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing?” one user on the platform wrote.

“Yeah exactly,” Musk responded, adding a “yawning” emoji.

And while many have blasted Musk for the gesture, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against antisemitism, has come to his defence.

“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,” the organization wrote in a post to social media Monday afternoon.

“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,” they continued.

Meanwhile, the ADL’s website describes the “Hitler salute” or “Nazi salute” as consisting “of raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down.”

“In Nazi Germany, it was often accompanied by chanting or shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ or ‘Sieg Heil,’” their description continues. “Since World War II, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have continued to use the salute, making it the most common white supremacist hand sign in the world.”

Democratic congresswoman and longtime Trump critic, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, fired back at 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,” she wrote on X.

Meanwhile, some far-right social media users with large followings on various platforms celebrated Musk’s gestures, regardless of how he intended them to come across.

According to Rolling Stone, Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, wrote on Telegram, “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.”

And Andrew Torba, the founder of the far-right social media network Gab, promoted a photo of the salute on his platform with the caption, “Incredible things are happening already,” reported the New York Times.

Musk has caused uproar in recent weeks for embracing far-right political parties in Europe, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

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