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Did Elon Musk Really Do A Nazi Salute At President Donald Trump's Inauguration? Musk's Response To The Accusations And Controversy Explained
Entrepreneur and head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) Elon Musk has come under fire over the last 24 hours for doing what many internet users are describing as a "Nazi salute" at the post-inaugural rally on January 20th, 2025.
The tech billionaire gave a speech during the event after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, making a motion perceived by internet users and some media outlets as an unmistakable "Seig Heil" salute, infamously used by Hitler's Nazi Party in the 1930s and '40s.
Videos and photos from the event show Musk holding his hand to his chest and then raising his flat palm while extending his arm outward, not once, but twice in the span of a few seconds. Musk accompanied the gesture with the statement, "My heart goes out to you," as part of his speech.
The gesture quickly garnered both criticisms from anti-Trump internet users and jokes from a right-wing internet crowd, with Musk later denying the accusations that it was a "Nazi salute" and saying, "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Here's a recap of all the events surrounding Elon Musk's controversial salute at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony and why it's become the subject of much debate and memes this week.
Why Are People Accusing Elon Musk of Doing The 'Nazi Salute'?
On January 20th, 2025, Elon Musk spoke at a post-inauguration rally at Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena, where he thanked President Donald Trump for promising to further the goal of putting a man on Mars and also did an awkward, fist-pumping "victory dance" as he paced across the podium.
.@elonmusk riling up the crowd at Capitol One Arena. We expect President Trump to arrive soon – a desk is set up with the presidential seal on it where we are told Trump will sign executive orders in front of this crowd of nearly 20,000. pic.twitter.com/uSxB4Y3kqD
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 20, 2025
While wrapping up his speech, Elon Musk said, "Some elections are, you know, important, and some are not, but this one really mattered." Turned toward the crowd in attendance, Musk then held his hand to his heart and jerked it straight out with his palm flat. Musk then repeated the gesture in the opposite direction, facing the U.S. flag.
A clip of the moment was also tweeted by X user @atrupar, who captioned it, "um," receiving over 11 million views and 49,000 likes in two hours.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 20, 2025
How Did Internet Users React To The Video Of Elon Musk's Salute?
Several internet users reacted to the clip in shock and disbelief as it began going viral, with X user @harryjsisson tweeting the clip on January 20th, writing, "WTF?? What did Elon Musk just do??" receiving over 14,000 likes in two hours.
WTF?? What did Elon Musk just do?? pic.twitter.com/ESNjAG874s
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) January 20, 2025
Over on Reddit's /r/pics that same day, people discussed the second salute he gave after turning around and facing the American flag.
Also on January 20th, X user @FoxfordComics tweeted a spoof Fallenchungus webcomic showing Donald Trump and Elon Musk, based on a precursor comic making fun of Musk Jumping behind Trump. The comic shows Trump looking back in shock as Musk raises his flat palm.
According to a Rolling Stone article published on January 20th, several white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups on Telegram shared the video of Musk doing the gesture in appreciation. An excerpt from the article, titled, "Right-Wing Extremists Are Abuzz Over Musk’s Straight-Arm Salute," is shown below.
Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the notorious neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, posted the clip of Musk’s salute on Telegram with a lightning-bolt emoji (evocative of the Nazi SS) and the caption: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.”
Another neo-Nazi leader, Christopher Hood, who founded the New England race-separatist movement NSC-131, also posted the clip to Telegram with the emojis ⁉️and 😁.
Who Denied That Elon Musk Did A 'Nazi Salute'?
On January 20th, 2025, as the clip continued garnering virality and backlash, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tweeted a statement in defense of Elon Musk, saying that "many are on edge," and that "it seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute."
Elon Musk himself issued a response to the flurry of reactions to the video of him doing a straight-arm salute, dismissing the criticism by saying, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired 😴," in a tweet that's since racked up over 27.6 million views in 12 hours.
For the full history of Elon Musk Supposedly Doing The Nazi Salute, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
