During the event in Washington celebrating Donald Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk made a one-arm gesture that has caused controversy. He placed his hand on his chest, then stretched his arm straight out in front of him and repeated the gesture for the audience behind him, saying, “My heart goes out to you.”
The action got a lot of attention online, and people argued about what it meant. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat said, “It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.” But the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) disagreed, saying, “It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
Musk’s gesture upset many people in Germany, where Nazi symbols and salutes are banned due to the country’s history. Michel Friedman, a publicist, said, “I thought to myself, the breaking of taboos is reaching a point that is dangerous for the entire free world.” Charlotte Knobloch, the president of the Jewish community in Munich, called it “highly disconcerting” but said Musk’s support for far-right groups and interference in German elections is “far more worrying” because of their “anti-democratic aims.”
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Amid the backlash, Musk took to X to defend himself, stating, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is soo tired.”
Frankly, they need better dirty tricks.
The “everyone is Hitler” attack is sooo tired 😴 https://t.co/9fIqS5mWA0
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2025
He also made fun of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for criticizing his links to far-right groups, calling him “Oaf Schitz.”
Some people think Elon Musk’s gesture looked like a Roman salute, which was used by Mussolini’s Fascist Party in Italy before Hitler adopted it. Andrea Stroppa, a close associate of Musk, posted the clip on X with the caption “Roman Empire is back starting from Roman salute” but later deleted it. He explained that Musk, who is autistic, was expressing his emotions and meant no harm. Stroppa said the gesture was Musk’s way of saying, “I want to give my heart to you,” and added, “Elon dislikes extremists!”
In Germany, even looking like you are making a Nazi salute can lead to legal trouble. A judge in Berlin, Kai-Uwe Herbst, explained that intent is important in these cases. He said, “Sometimes these are drunken football hooligans, sometimes pro-Palestinian demonstrators who wish to provoke.” For Elon Musk, proving that his gesture was innocent could make the case harder to decide.
Lenz Jacobsen, a journalist for Die Zeit, said,
“Whoever on a political stage, making a political speech in front of a partly far-right audience, elongates his arm diagonally in the air both forcefully and repeatedly, is making a Hitler salute. The gesture speaks for itself.”
However, others did not agree. Miriam Hollstein from Stern magazine thought the reaction was too strong. She posted, “Sorry, no way was that a Hitler greeting, and it was also never intended as one.” Many people believe Musk’s growing ties to far-right groups are a bigger issue. As Friedman asked, “Was the hand movement an expression of his political identity?”
Featured image via Screengrab
