--- title: Elon Musk Comments on Nazi-Like Salute Controversy description: The billionaire sparked heated debate over a gesture he made at a rally celebrating Trump’s Inauguration. canonical: https://time.com/7208614/elon-musk-nazi-salute-reactions-debate-controversy-adl-trump-inauguration/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-01-21T04:15:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T18:01:56.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Elon Musk Comments on Salute Controversy og:description: The billionaire sparked heated debate over a gesture he made at a rally celebrating Trump’s Inauguration. og:url: https://time.com/7208614/elon-musk-nazi-salute-reactions-debate-controversy-adl-trump-inauguration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte60e76ac8e00ac12/6998b29d07a30dcd2977ac33/elon-musk-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Elon Musk og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Elon Musk Comments on Salute Controversy twitter:description: The billionaire sparked heated debate over a gesture he made at a rally celebrating Trump’s Inauguration. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte60e76ac8e00ac12/6998b29d07a30dcd2977ac33/elon-musk-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Elon Musk Comments on Controversial Clip of Him Giving a Straight-Arm Salute > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Updated: Jan 19, 2026 6:01 PM UTCPublished: Jan 21, 2025 4:15 AM UTC  Elon Musk gestures as he speaks at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. Elon Musk gestures as he speaks at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Updated: Jan 19, 2026 6:01 PM UTCPublished: Jan 21, 2025 4:15 AM UTC Elon Musk was visibly bursting with excitement after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. At a celebratory rally on Monday at Capitol One Arena in Washington, he pumped his fist in the air and bellowed a “Yes!” to the raucous crowd. But another gesture soon after has sent observers questioning whether [Musk](https://time.com/7177802/elon-musk-donald-trump-2024-election/) was expressing just joy, or something more insidious. “I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO and X owner told the audience of Trump supporters. Musk then slapped his chest with his right hand, before flinging it diagonally upwards, palm face down. He turned around to audience members behind the podium, and repeated the gesture. “My heart goes out to you,” the 53-year-old billionaire said, palm back on his chest. But the quick, salute-like movement drew attention as swiftly as it happened. In live commentary, CNN anchor Erin Burnett pointed the gesture out, and co-anchor Kasie Hunt noted, “It’s not something that you typically see in American political rallies.” Social media swarmed with confusion—and theories. “WTF?? What did Elon Musk just do??” one [X user](https://x.com/harryjsisson/status/1881432438746042378) asked. Streamer and leftist political commentator Hasan Pike [posted](https://x.com/hasanthehun/status/1881430573543268733): “did elon musk just hit the roman salute at his inauguration speech?” Other users immediately drew comparison to a Nazi salute popularly used by Adolf Hitler. Public broadcaster PBS [shared the clip on social media](https://x.com/NewsHour/status/1881445540031857115) and reported it as “what appeared to be a fascist salute.” Musician and environmental activist Bill Madden [posted](https://x.com/maddenifico/status/1881472239239139675): “If giving the Nazi ‘Sieg Heil’ salute was an Olympic event like gymnastics, Elon Musk would’ve received a perfect score of 10\. Musk even nailed the facial expression. Seriously, Hitler would be jealous.” Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University who self-identified as a “historian of fascism,” posted on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/ruthbenghiat.bsky.social/post/3lg7eiifhyc2a): “It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.” Israeli newspaper _Haaretz_ [reported the gesture](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-20/ty-article-live/three-israeli-hostages-reunite-with-families-90-palestinian-prisoners-freed/00000194-81c7-dfec-a3f7-89eff0740000?liveBlogItemId=1838072983&v=1737424745326#1838072983) as a “Roman salute,” and said it will “only cause greater alarm among Jews who have expressed concern with the billionaire’s proximity to Trump’s inner circle while platforming views prominent with \[the\] far-right.” _Rolling Stone_ magazine [reported](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elon-musk-salute-reaction-right-wing-extremists-1235241866/) that neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists in America and abroad were “abuzz” after the gesture, citing celebratory captions of the clip from far-right figures such as “Incredible things are happening already lmao” and “Ok maybe woke really is dead.” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) [posted on X](https://x.com/RepJerryNadler/status/1881474208771055639) that he “never imagined we would see the day when what appears to be a Heil Hitler salute would be made behind the Presidential seal. This abhorrent gesture has no place in our society and belongs in the darkest chapters of human history.” While speaking on stage at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was asked by a member of the press about his reaction to Musk’s gesture, to which he responded: “We have freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany, everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire. What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions.” (In Germany, performing the Nazi salute is illegal.) However, some others have come to Musk’s defense. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization whose mission is to combat antisemitism and which [describes](https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/hitler-salute-hand-sign) a “Hitler salute” as one with an “outstretched right arm with the palm down,” [posted on X](https://x.com/ADL/status/1881474892022919403) shortly after the incident that the billionaire Trump mega-donor “made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” and that “all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.” Eyal Yakoby, a University of Pennsylvania graduate who campaigned against antisemitism on college campuses, called it “a stupid hand gesture” in a [post on X](https://x.com/EYakoby/status/1881451049787273621), adding: “Anyone trying to portray him as a Nazi is intentionally misleading the public.” Aaron Astor, a history professor at Maryville College in Tennessee, [posted](https://x.com/AstorAaron/status/1881467415646920733): “This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says ‘my heart goes out to you.’” (Musk has previously disclosed that he has Asperger’s syndrome, also known as autism spectrum disorder.) Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon offered a similar explanation, [adding](https://x.com/bungarsargon/status/1881439445523775961): “We don’t need to invent outrage.” Musk has previously been criticized for [allowing pro-Nazi accounts to flourish on his platform](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/x-twitter-elon-musk-nazi-extremist-white-nationalist-accounts-rcna145020) and for [posting right-wing memes](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/09/elon-musks-journey-from-humanitarian-to-poster-of-rightwing-memes) and [seemingly supporting antisemitic conspiracy theories](https://time.com/6336123/elon-musk-antisemitic-post-x/), which led to an [exodus of advertisers from X in 2023](https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-x-antisemitism-twitter-ads-83e68f03e9bf1d261c1a8c55066c4e59), and for [recently supporting Germany’s far-right populist AfD party](https://www.politico.eu/article/elon-musk-endorses-germanys-far-right/), whose leaders have made “antisemitic, anti-Muslim and anti-democratic” statements, [according to the ADL](https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/alternative-germany-afd-party-what-you-need-know). The debate over Musk’s latest move has added fuel to other ongoing feuds, too. Progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) targeted the ADL, which has been [accused by the left of turning a blind eye toward Trump and his allies](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/adl-trump-rally-fascism/), in a [post on X](https://x.com/AOC/status/1881493371900113227), saying: “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.” Staunch Trump supporter Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), meanwhile, threatened PBS by saying she would call it to testify before the oversight subcommittee she chairs that is set to work with the [newly-formed](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk oversees. “I look forward to PBS @NewsHour coming before my committee and explaining why lying and spreading propaganda to serve the Democrat party and attack Republicans is a good use of taxpayer funds,” Greene [posted](https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1881479200672215171). Musk did not directly address the controversy Monday night, though he replied to a number of posts on X about it—[thanking the ADL](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1881510804006269080), [mocking](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1881534446639501320) [Ocasio-Cortez](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1881520634343387474), and [agreeing](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1881526554100203739) with a [post](https://x.com/AutismCapital/status/1881525932248477720) that said: “Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing? It didn’t work during the election, it’s not working now, it’s tired, boring, and old material, you’ve burned out its effect, people don’t feel shocked by it anymore, the wolf has been cried too many times.” Musk also [reposted](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1881439156385226965) a video clip of his rally remarks that included the moment he made the questionable gesture, commenting: “The future is so exciting!!” On Wednesday, Musk [posted](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1882256348374831532), “The radical leftists are really upset that they had to take time out of their busy day praising Hamas to call me a Nazi.” And on Thursday, he [thanked](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1882398456557552098) Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://time.com/7008717/benjamin-netanyahu-interview/), who had posted that Musk was “falsely smeared” and is a “friend of Israel.” Shortly after, Musk [posted](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1882406209187409976) a series of Holocaust- and Nazi-themed puns—”Some people will Goebbels anything down! … Bet you did nazi that coming”—and, for that, he did end up earning the [condemnation of the ADL](https://x.com/ADL/status/1882485456056865038). By Thursday night, he seemed exasperated, [posting](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1882591207026512033): “If I see one more damn Nazi salute in my feed, I’m gonna lose my mind,” before joking, as the owner of the platform: “This algorithm sucks!!” _—Ayesha Javed/Davos contributed reporting._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7208614/elon-musk-nazi-salute-reactions-debate-controversy-adl-trump-inauguration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7208614/elon-musk-nazi-salute-reactions-debate-controversy-adl-trump-inauguration/"},"headline":"Elon Musk Comments on Controversial Clip of Him Giving a Straight-Arm Salute","datePublished":"2025-01-21T04:15:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T18:01:56.000Z","description":"The billionaire sparked heated debate over a gesture he made at a rally celebrating Trump’s Inauguration.","url":"https://time.com/7208614/elon-musk-nazi-salute-reactions-debate-controversy-adl-trump-inauguration/","keywords":["extremism","Tech","Donald Trump","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte60e76ac8e00ac12/6998b29d07a30dcd2977ac33/elon-musk-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte60e76ac8e00ac12/6998b29d07a30dcd2977ac33/elon-musk-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Elon Musk","caption":"Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025.","creditText":"Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/extremism/","name":"extremism"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7208614/elon-musk-nazi-salute-reactions-debate-controversy-adl-trump-inauguration/","name":"Elon Musk Comments on Controversial Clip of Him Giving a Straight-Arm Salute"}}]}] ```