Elon Musk reacted ironically on Tuesday by suggesting to his detractors to find “best twisted tricks”, in response to the controversy aroused by his salvation, described as “nazi” by some, during a Donald Trump meeting the day before in Washington.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack“is so worn out,” said the boss of Tesla and Space X, in a message posted on his X platform.
The whimsical American businessman caused astonishment during the meeting by twice performing a salute, described by some as “fascist” or “nazi”while others defended “a clumsy gesture”. He was giving 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.
“As if he had practiced in front of the mirror to find the exact angle”
After thanking the crowd for allowing his return to the White House, he struck his chest with his right hand, then extended his arm with an open palm. He then repeated the gesture, turning towards 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.”
Some foreign dailies such as the Israeli Haaretz or the British The Guardian claimed that the American billionaire “appeared” to have performed a salute “fascist” or “fascist style”. “It seems like he had it inside him for a while and he was finally able to let it go,” former Democratic congresswoman Cori Bush said on X. “As if he had practiced in front of the mirror to find the exact angle”she quipped.
“Comes in the wake of his explicit support for far-right policies and parties”
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 – which comes on the heels of his explicit embrace of far-right policies and parties.” Amy Spitalnick, head of the Jewish organization JCPA, said in a statement.
-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 carried out and repeated”, the Democrat responded on X. “People can officially stop looking to you as a credible source of information,” she added. 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.
Related News :