Elon Musk caused astonishment during a Donald Trump meeting on Monday, January 20, in Washington, by saluting twice that some called it “fascist” or “Nazi”while others defended “a clumsy move”.
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 your left chest with your right hand, extending your arm with your palm openthen repeat 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,” Democratic congressman Jimmy Gomez criticized on X. 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 few hours later, the American billionaire reacted with irony to the controversy surrounding his salvation, suggesting to his detractors to make “better dirty tricks”. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler'+ type attack is so worn out,” said the boss of Tesla and Space X, in a message posted on his X platform.
Several supports
According to the magazine Wired, many far-right figures in the United States welcomed the eventlike columnist Evan Kilgore, who praised an “incredible” gesture.
Elon Musk has multiplied in recent weeks the statements of support for the German far-right AfD partybut also to the far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, or to the British anti-immigration party Reform UK.
-The ADL association fighting 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.” For historian Aaron Astor, the billionaire's salute should not be categorized as Nazi, but as “a socially awkward wave from an autistic man.” Elon Musk announced in 2021 that he had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
Read more
