Elon Musk has spoken out after being accused of giving a Nazi salute at Donald Trump‘s inauguration event.
On Monday (January 20), Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, making history as the first person since Grover Cleveland to serve non-consecutive terms as President of the United States.
The newly-elected president’s inauguration was held inside the Capitol Rotunda due to cold temperatures forecasted in the nation’s capital.
The ceremony was attended by a high-profile guest list, including Elon Musk – who is the newly appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk joined the festivities at the Capital One Arena, where he delivered an impassioned speech about humanity’s future on Mars.
At one point, he pounded his chest and shot his right arm skyward in an angular motion, declaring he felt it in his “heart”. He later repeated the action, turning toward an American flag hanging over the stage as the crowd roared.
“My heart goes out to you,” Musk said. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you. We’re gonna have safe cities, finally safe cities. Secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff. And we’re gonna take ‘Doge’ to Mars.”
Watch the moment below:
The strange gesture quickly became the focus of intense scrutiny on social media, with many critics likening it to the Nazi salute.
Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett wrote: “Our new co-president Elon Musk gives a Nazi salute on day one of Trump presidency,” while one user responded: “He did it not once but twice. Truly deplorable.”
“Within hours of Donald Trump taking the oath of office, billionaire Elon Musk gave the Nazi salute during his speech at an inauguration rally. It was not an accident or a mistake, he did it twice,” a second shared.
CNN anchor Erin Burnett described Musk’s salute as “odd-looking,” while co-anchor Kasie Hunt said the gesture “was evocative of things that we have seen through history” and “not something you typically see at American rallies,” cited by The Independent.
Unsurprisingly, Musk himself wasted no time firing back at the accusations. Hours after the backlash erupted, he took to X to dismiss the uproar as yet another attempt to smear him.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is so tired,” he penned, reposting an older tweet where he claimed to be the target of a “dirty tricks campaign” following his decision to part ways with the Democratic Party.
He also shared a video of his entire speech, though notably, the footage – sourced from Fox’s Live Now broadcast – excluded the initial salute that sparked the controversy.
Some users insisted that the Tesla founder was mimicking the “Roman salute,” a historical gesture from the ancient empire, which, while predating fascism, has since been co-opted by authoritarian regimes.
Others defended the tech mogul and pointed to his neurodivergence to explain the incident. Batya Ungar-Sargon, Newsweek’s opinion editor, wrote: “This is a man with Aspergers exuberantly throwing his heart to the crowd. We don’t need to invent outrage.”
However, some right-wing extremists celebrated Musk’s gestures. According to Rolling Stone, Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group, wrote on Telegram: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.”
Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a far-right social media platform, added: “Incredible things are happening already.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the most prominent organizations dedicated to opposing anti-Semitism, said the billionaire had made an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute”.
“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath,” the ADL said in a post on X. “This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”
