The gesture from Musk is eerily similar to the salute made prominent during the height of Adolf Hitler’s antisemitic and racist rule over Germany in the 1930s.
Elon Musk, the billionaire friend and incoming White House advisor to President Donald Trump, drew immediate public outrage during a Trump inaugural celebration event. After delivering remarks at the inaugural “parade” Monday afternoon, Musk appeared to deliver the Nazi salute to at least 20,000 Trump supporters inside the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The salute believed to be gestured by Musk, in which a person raises their right arm outstretched with their palm facing downwards, was prominent in Germany during the 1930s. Citizens used the salute to honor Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as they shouted “Sieg Heil (“Hail Victory”)” or “Heil Hitler” in German.
Hitler led a political movement steeped in antisemitism and racism, resulting in the genocide and oppression of thousands of Jews and Black Germans. Though the salute was later banned in European countries, it has been embraced in recent years by antisemitic and racist extremist groups, according to the Holocaust Museum.
“This video of Elon Musk appearing to do what’s being described as a Nazi salute is extremely disconcerting,” said Jamarr Brown, executive director of Color of Change PAC. He told theGrio that while there are “differing explanations” as to what Musk “meant to convey with the gesture,” the salute “reminds us that President Trump and those around him respect and seek to emulate dictators around the world.”
NEW: CNN suggests Elon Musk made a Nazi salute during Trump’s event at Capitol One arena, purposely leaves out Musk’s comments when he said his heart goes out to the crowd.
CNN: “It’s a salute. It was quick. I think our viewers are smart and they can take a look at that, but it… pic.twitter.com/LDoWQODod4
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 20, 2025
Brown noted that there were “multiple occasions” in which Trump has “reminded us that he wants to build absolute and total power, threatening the very fabric of our democracy.”
During the 2024 presidential election cycle, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other political leaders warned American voters that Trump was seeking the office of the presidency to be a dictator and undermine democratic norms. They argued that he would use the office to assume unchecked power and enrich himself and his allies, much like historical fascists like Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, as well as modern ones like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The seeming embrace of a Nazi symbol by Musk, the world’s wealthiest man and owner of Tesla and Space X, is significant as he is a close advisor to President Trump and has been appointed to run a new White House office focused on cutting federal spending that could have sweeping impacts on Black and other vulnerable communities. Trump, Musk, and others a part of his administration have previously been criticized for embracing white nationalist views, including the idea that white people are being “replaced” by Black and brown immigrants, also known as the “Great Replacement Theory.”
During his farewell Oval Office address, President Biden warned against Trump’s close ties to tech billionaires like Musk, saying, “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
Brown of Color of Change PAC told theGrio Biden was “correct” in warning us against America becoming an oligarchy, a form of government in which an elite few are in control of the federal government.
“We see Trump continuing to surround himself with billionaires and big tech CEOs, prioritizing their loyalty at the expense of Black communities and the American people,” said Brown. He continued, “Elon Musk has already played an outsized role in this election, from his efforts to get Trump in office, to his interference with Congress’ previous attempt to avoid a government shutdown, to now overseeing an unregulated government agency.”
Markus Batchelor, national political director at People For the American Way, said of Musk’s salute, “At least they aren’t being subtle.” He told theGrio, “None of us should be surprised that a billionaire who benefited from and came of age under of racial caste system in South Africa would be at best careless or, at worst, downright inflammatory in this moment.”
Batchelor added, “Donald Trump has benefited from maintaining a delicate dance with white supremacy to achieve his political goals. In Elon Musk, he found a willing dance partner”
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