Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, found himself at the center of a political and cultural firestorm this week after performing a straight-arm gesture during an event celebrating President Donald Trump's inauguration. Critics, particularly in Europe, were quick to label the move as reminiscent of the Nazi salute, sparking outrage and prompting condemnations from left-wing politicians, human rights advocates, and international observers.
The controversy erupted after Musk, addressing a crowd at Washington's Capital One Arena, placed his hand on his chest and extended his arm outward and upward with his palm facing down. He repeated the gesture facing a different section of the crowd while saying, "My heart goes out to you." The move immediately drew comparisons to fascist salutes used during the regimes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, despite Musk and his supporters denying any intentional association.
French Member of the European Parliament Manon Aubry did not mince words in her response. "I am sure everyone saw the Nazi salute-I select these words carefully-of Elon Musk," Aubry said at a press conference. In Germany, where the salute is banned and carries deep historical trauma, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach from the Social Democratic Party expressed alarm. "Such a gesture, given his known proximity to right-wing populists, must worry every democrat," he said.
Musk's gesture also sparked significant backlash in Italy, where journalist Roberto Saviano condemned the billionaire, saying, "His fall will be equal to that of those to whom he historically refers with this gesture." Meanwhile, Spain's Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz announced her decision to leave Musk's platform, X (formerly Twitter), citing its transformation into a "propaganda mechanism" favoring specific ideologies.
Elon Musk was very ill-advised to do this kind of salute to denote his clearly stated ‘my heart goes out to you’ sentiment… but he obviously didn’t mean it as a Nazi salute and anyone who says he did is being a disingenuous idiot. pic.twitter.com/5fh82psnSC — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 21, 2025
While some dismissed the gesture as a misunderstanding, far-right extremists celebrated it as a symbolic nod to their ideologies. A white nationalist group posted on Telegram, "The White Flame will rise again," while other users on X echoed similar sentiments. Musk, however, responded to the accusations with derision, calling them "dirty tricks" by his opponents and adding, "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
In an effort to quell the controversy, Andrea Stroppa, a key advisor to Musk in Italy, attributed the gesture to Musk's autism, describing it as an expression of his feelings. Stroppa later deleted a post celebrating the move as a "Roman salute," replacing it with an apology.
Amid the uproar, watchdog organizations urged restraint. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called the gesture an "awkward moment" and advised against jumping to conclusions. "In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath," the ADL said in a statement.
However, other experts viewed the situation differently. Kurt Braddock, a professor at American University who studies extremism, said, "I know what I saw, and I know what the response to it was among elements of the extreme right, including neo-Nazis. None of it is a laughing matter."