"Elon Musk’s Shocking Gesture at Trump’s Event: Did He Just Make a Nazi Salute?"

Elon Musk sparked controversy after making a one-armed gesture during a speech at an event celebrating Donald Trump's inauguration.

Musk thanked the crowd for "making it happen," then placed his right hand over his heart. He followed this by extending the same arm outwards in front of him. He repeated the gesture for those sitting behind him. Many social media users on X, the platform Musk owns, compared the move to a Nazi salute.

In response, Musk dismissed the criticism, writing on X: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."

Musk, the world's richest man and a known ally of President Trump, was speaking at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., when he made the gesture. After performing the second salute, he said, "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."

The incident quickly prompted backlash online.

Claire Aubin, a historian specializing in Nazism in the U.S., described Musk's gesture as a "sieg heil," the term for a Nazi salute. "My professional opinion is that you're all right, you should believe your eyes," she posted on X, addressing those who had questioned whether the gesture was indeed a reference to Nazi symbolism. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, echoed this, calling the gesture "a very belligerent Nazi salute."

Adding to the controversy, Andrea Stroppa, a close associate of Musk who helped connect him with far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, shared the clip with the caption: "Roman Empire is back starting from Roman salute." The Roman salute was adopted by Benito Mussolini's Fascist Party in Italy and later by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime in Germany. Stroppa later deleted the post but defended Musk, claiming that the gesture was simply Musk expressing his feelings in an autistic manner, and that he was saying, "I want to give my heart to you."

Musk's gesture comes at a time when his political views have become more aligned with right-wing causes. He has recently voiced support for Germany's far-right AfD party and Britain's Reform UK, an anti-immigration group.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was asked about the incident during the World Economic Forum in Davos. When asked whether the gesture was similar to a Nazi salute, which is illegal in Germany, Scholz responded, "We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany... what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions."

However, some defended Musk, including the Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat anti-Semitism. The organization wrote on X, "It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute."

Musk has become one of Trump's most loyal allies and was recently named co-leader of the "Department of Government Efficiency," a position initiated by the former president.