Musk sows trouble: “Nazi salute” or “awkward gesture”?

Donald Trump’s special adviser Elon Musk caused astonishment on Monday during a meeting of the new US president in Washington by performing a salute twice that some described as “fascist” or “Nazi”. 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 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, extending his arm with an open palm, then repeating the gesture while turning toward the rest of the crowd. the crowd behind him.

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 the social network X, in reaction to an image of the richest man in the world making this salute on stage.

An “incredible” gesture

Another historian expert on fascism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat also affirmed on X that “it was indeed a Nazi salute and one which was very aggressive on top of that”.

Some foreign dailies such as the Israeli Haaretz or the British The Guardian claimed that the American billionaire “appeared” to have performed a “fascist” or “fascist-style” salute.

“It seems like he had it inside him for a while and he was finally able to let it go,” said former Democratic congresswoman Cori Bush on the mirror to find the exact angle,” she quipped.

Despite around ten publications on his social network X since he made his gesture, Elon Musk did not react immediately to the emerging controversy.

According to Wired magazine, many far-right personalities in the United States welcomed the event, such as columnist Evan Kilgore, who praised an “incredible” gesture.

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,” the organization wrote on X.