I did see that coming.
During President Trump’s second inauguration[5], Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made a controversial gesture. The gesture involved raising his right arm at a diagonal angle with his palm down and fingers extended[7], which many observers noted closely resembled a Nazi salute.
The incident sparked immediate controversy and public reaction was split along partisan lines[1]. Historians definitively identified it as a Nazi salute, though some supporters claimed it was inspired by an ancient Roman greeting that was later adopted by Mussolini[6].
Musk responded to the controversy by:
- Dismissing the accusations of Nazi sympathies[1]
- Making jokes about the situation using wordplay referencing Nazi figures (“Hess” and “Goebbels”)[4]
- Claiming his critics “need better dirty tricks”[9]
The gesture itself is classified as a hate symbol by radicalism reporting initiatives[8], and while there was debate in America about its interpretation, sources note that in Germany there was little doubt about its meaning[2].
The incident led to significant backlash, with Musk “coming under fire” for making the gesture at the Trump rally[3].
References:
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk_salute_controversy
[2]: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/world/europe/elon-musk-roman-salute-nazi.html
[3]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/elon-musk-at-trumps-inauguration-whats-the-history-of-the-nazi-salute
[4]: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/23/nx-s1-5269719/elon-musk-salute-inauguration-day-nazis
[5]: https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/elon-musks-inaugural-roman-salute-sparks-outrage-far-right-praise/
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/21/elon-musk-nazi-roman-salute-difference-trump-inauguration
[7]: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/elon-musk-mimic-nazi-salute-controversial-gesture-historical-context-9791281/
[8]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-22/elon-musk-accused-salute-donald-trump-inauguration/104845166
[9]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy48v1x4dv4o
