Musk's hand gesture during Trump inauguration festivities draws scrutiny
Musk's hand gesture during Trump inauguration festivities draws scrutiny
WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk’s hand gesture during his speech at the celebration of President Donald Trump’s inauguration sparked online comparisons to a Nazi salute. However, a leading antisemitism watchdog argued that it appeared to be a moment of enthusiasm rather than a salute with any sinister intent.
Musk swiftly dismissed the criticism, calling it a “tired” attack.
Appearing at the Capital One Arena in Washington, Musk received a warm reception, with the crowd cheering loudly as he pumped his arms and shouted, “Yesssss.”
“This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization,” Musk said. “This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you.”
Biting his lip, Musk thumped his right hand over his heart, fingers spread wide, before extending his right arm at an upward angle, palm facing down and fingers together. He repeated this gesture toward the crowd behind him.
“My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured,” he said as he concluded the gesture.
The actions were quickly analyzed online, with some questioning if Musk had performed a Nazi salute.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a leading group tracking antisemitism, disagreed with such claims. “It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” they posted.
In Germany, Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, found the gesture “highly irritating.” She expressed more concern about Musk's political affiliations, including his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been labeled as right-wing extremist by German security services.
Musk, who has publicly backed the AfD, dismissed the critique. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is soooo tired,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Shortly after the event, Musk shared a Fox video clip showing parts of his speech, cutting away when he made the gesture. He captioned the clip, “The future is so exciting.”
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Some social media users defended Musk, claiming his gesture was an expression of gratitude, rather than any nefarious salute, and criticized those who suggested otherwise.
