Elon Musk caused astonishment on Monday during a Donald Trump meeting in Washington by twice performing a salute that some described as “fascist” or “Nazi”, while others defended “a clumsy gesture”.
The boss of X, SpaceX and Tesla gave a speech on stage at the Capital One Arena, where supporters of Donald Trump had gathered for a meeting of the new American president a few hours after his inauguration.
He thanked the crowd for allowing the billionaire's return to the White House, before tapping his left chest with his right hand, then extending his arm with an open palm. He then repeated the gesture, turning to the rest of the crowd behind him.
The historian Claire Aubin, a specialist in Nazism in the United States, estimated that Elon Musk's gesture was indeed a “Sieg Heil”the Nazi salute. “Well, it didn’t take long,” criticized Democratic congressman Jimmy Gomez on X, in reaction to an image of the richest man in the world doing this salute on stage.
Another expert historian on fascism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat also stated on “It was indeed a Nazi salute, and one that was very aggressive at that.”
“A twisted blow”
Some foreign dailies such as the Israeli Haaretz or the British The Guardian have affirmed that the American billionaire had “seems” having performed a salute”fascist” or “fascist style”. “It seemed like he had been holding it inside for a while and was finally able to let it go,” declared former Democratic representative Cori Bush on X. “As if he had practiced in front of the mirror to find the exact angle“, she quipped.
If the Tesla boss had not reacted immediately, he finally spoke of a “twisted move”. “The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is so outdated”. According to Wired magazine, many far-right personalities in the United States welcomed the event, such as columnist Evan Kilgore, who welcomed a gesture “amazing”.
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has increased his declarations of support for the far-right German party AfD, but also for the far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, or for the British anti-immigration party Reform UK.
“Elon Musk knew precisely what he was doing with that fascist Roman salute at the Trump rally today – part of his explicit embrace of far-right policies and parties,” Amy Spitalnick, head of the Jewish organization JCPA, said in a statement.
-“He’s very funny and he uses sarcasm a lot.”
For Brandon Galambos, a 29-year-old pastor who was present in the meeting room, the businessman's gesture was above all “humorous”. “He’s very funny and he uses sarcasm a lot,” he told AFP. “Obviously the left is going to pick up on this and say he's a Nazi or whatever, but I think it was just humorous the way he did it.”
The ADL association for the fight against anti-Semitism, which has clashed with the billionaire in the past, this time came to his defense. “It appears that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” wrote the organization on X.
Left-wing elected official Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed this reaction from the ADL. “You defend a Heil Hitler salute performed and repeated”, replied the Democrat on X. “People can officially stop looking to you as a credible source of information”she added.
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. https://t.co/0gLdMCU3UV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1881493371900113227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
For historian Aaron Astor, the billionaire's salute should not be categorized as Nazi. “I have criticized Elon Musk numerous times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform”he wrote on X before adding: “But this gesture is not a Nazi salute. It is a socially awkward hand signal from an autistic man where he says to the crowd my heart goes out to you.” Elon Musk announced in 2021 that he had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
