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Elon Musk responds to the Nazi salute backlash exactly how you’d imagine.
It’s almost impressive when something like Donald Trump’s inauguration can turn out even more controversial than people had imagined.
However, the real star of the show turned out to be Trump-supporter and famed Twitter-ruiner Elon Musk.
Now, after either performing a Nazi salute or somehow accidentally appearing to perform a Nazi salute twice during his speech, he’s saying exactly what everyone thought that he’d say.
Did Elon Musk just do a Nazi Salute at Trump’s Inauguration?
A narcissistic billionaire who’s obsessed with white birthrates giving a Nazi salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration would be a little heavy-handed for a political satire.
But the events of January 20 were not satire. This is America’s new reality.
Some news outlets have been cutting away from Musk’s salute, possibly out of fear of reprisal from Trump. However, the video still exists, and you can watch it for yourself.
Elon just did a sieg heil during his speech.
— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) January 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Many news organizations have avoided characterizing it as a “Nazi salute.”
However, some members of the alt-right are celebrating what they take as an escalation from dogwhistles to open endorsement. And news networks in countries that have laws against displaying Nazi imagery have had to censor Musk’s salute.
What is Elon Musk’s response to the Nazi salute controversy?
Immediately following Musk’s shocking display, many on social media agreed: he would simply deny that it was a Nazi gesture. All the while receiving praise and support from the Nazis who were excited to see his salute.
After all, we have seen this with other alt-right symbols. During Trump’s first term in the White House, numerous politicians and political groups would share photos involving a seemingly innocuous hand gesture that has in recent years come to represent “white power.”
Many conservatives, especially those associated with the alt right, have seemed to treat flashing fascist symbols as a “game” that they win by upsetting decent people. By those terms, they are very good at winning. And Elon Musk is, of course, no exception.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” Elon Musk wrote on Twitter on Monday night. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
He was quote-tweeting a tweet that included a screenshot of one of his old tweets, one which had predicted a “dirty tricks campaign” against him for endorsing far-right politicians in America and abroad.
Simply put, it appears that Musk is laughing as the world responds to his apparent Nazi salute. He seems happy to express praise from people who love fascist displays, but also eager to mock anyone calling it for what it is in a critical context. Truly the worst of both worlds.
The divisive times continue in America
While Trump supporters are celebrating this week, tens of millions of Americans are unhappy about the outcome of the 2024 election. But lower voter turnout — a symptom of many things rather than, say, TikTok discouragement or voter suppression alone — did not help their cause.
At present, people who are at risk can look out for each other.
If a trans person and their family need to flee their state for another with legal protections, help if you can. Remember that ICE cannot enter a home without a warrant signed by a judge. And if you’re fearful of the current agenda then don’t forget to vote in 2026 and 2028.
What you might not be able to do is effectively shame Elon Musk online. The man allegedly pays people to play video games in his name so that he can claim to be the best in the world at them. Which, in addition to perfectly encapsulating his history as a businessman and who he is as a person, highlights that Musk is fundamentally shameless.
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