After his speech at the Capital One Arena, Elon Musk made a gesture that many Internet users described as a “Nazi salute”. The footage was shared thousands of times on social media in just a few minutes. The main person concerned defended himself this Tuesday.
The sequence is making the rounds on social networks. At the end of Donald Trump's inauguration day, the future members of his government team spoke at the Capital One arena, a stone's throw from the Capitol. On stage, Elon Musk, loyal supporter of the 47th President of the United States, billionaire owner of Tesla and X and future minister of “government efficiency”, spoke for more than 3 minutes.
At the end of his speech, he wanted to thank all the voters present in the room but also across the country. Then to conclude, he places his hand at the level of his heart, before extending his arm. On social networks, notably X, many Internet users have mentioned a Nazi salute. Some say it is a “Roman salute”, which inspired Hitler's own salute. Pascal Canfin, MEP, isolated the sequence to publish it on his X account. “And Musk making a Nazi salute at Trump's inauguration…” he wrote.
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Elon Musk defends them
Supporters of Donald Trump and defenders of Elon Musk assure that the latter was only greeting the crowd. They claim the video posted online lacks context, explaining that when Elon Musk places his hand on his chest before raising his arm, he was expressing his thanks “from all (his) heart” to his supporters.
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A justification which seems to have convinced the ADL, an organization which nevertheless fights against anti-Semitism. On X, the association which translates as “Anti-Defamation League” defended Elon Musk, writing: “It’s a delicate moment. It's a new day and a lot of people are tense. Our politics are heating up and social media is adding anxiety. It appears that Elon Musk made a bizarre gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, but not a Nazi salute, however, we appreciate seeing that people are reacting. We are, however, at a time where we should give some grace, and perhaps offer the benefit of the doubt, while taking a deep breath. It's a new beginning. Hopefully we will heal and can work towards more unity, for the months and years to come.”
This publication strongly reacted to one of the most fervent opponents of the Trump clan, Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “Let me be clear, you are defending a Nazi salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis. People can officially stop treating you as a reliable source of information now. You work for them. Thanks for making this official,” she wrote. To support her statement, the Representative of the 14th district of New York shared the tweets of a historian of fascism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who also confirms that it was indeed “a Nazi salute, and which was very aggressive on top of that.”
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Same story on the side of Claire Aubin, historian specializing in Nazism in the United States, who recognized that Elon Musk's gesture was a “sieg heil”. “My professional opinion is that you are right, you should believe your eyes,” she wrote. The Israeli daily “Haaretz” also assures that it was the famous fascist gesture.
On X, Elon Musk reacted, denying any Nazi salute. “Honestly, they should come up with some more dirty tricks. The idea that 'everyone is Hitler' is outdated,” he wrote. But the damage is already done. According to the media “Wired” and “Rolling Stones”, several far-right personalities welcomed this gesture.
On Amazing. We are definitely back.” He then added that he was joking: “Elon Musk is autistic. He was excited. We all know his intentions were not to do a Sieg Heil. It sounded much more like a Roman salute. Can we all have a sense of humor for 5 seconds? »
This gesture comes as Elon Musk recently showed his support for the German far-right party AfD and the British anti-immigration party Reform UK. Enough to fuel the controversy. “Elon Musk knew precisely what he was doing with this fascist Roman salute at the Trump meeting today – which is part of his explicit support for far-right policies and parties,” commented in a press release Amy Spitalnick, patron of the Jewish organization JCPA.
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