During Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk delivered a speech. However, as he spoke before the crowd, Musk put his right hand over his heart, fingers splayed, then extended his arm outward at an angle with his thumb tucked in (a gesture that immediately drew comparisons to the Nazi salute). Though some came to his defense, saying it was an innocent mistake, others condemned the action as either an intentional provocation or at least an act of reckless ignorance.
The backlash was swift. Politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jerry Nadler, and historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, all denounced Musk’s gesture as reminiscent of fascist salute. In addition, Austria’s Green Party and Germany’s Die Linke called for Musk to be banned from entry into their countries, citing concerns over his perceived endorsement of far-right ideology. Even the Anti-Defamation League weighed in initially, suggesting that it may have been an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm” from Musk. Former ADL director Abraham Foxman disagreed and outright called it a “Heil Hitler Nazi salute.” In response, Musk brushed off the criticism, saying, “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.” Rather than any thoughtful clarification, he followed up by posting a series of Nazi-related puns on Twitter, which the ADL later condemned as “highly offensive.” Whatever Musk’s intent, right-wing extremists quickly caught onto the moment, spreading it across far-right forums as a sign of solidarity.
Musk has talked publicly about his struggles with Asperger’s Syndrome, a condition where social cues and expressions are difficult to navigate. A few supporters also argue that it should be put into consideration in analyzing his gesture-that he perhaps did not comprehend the full meaning. Others, however, quickly point out that public figures with this level of influence have a higher responsibility to be more wary of their own personal difficulties.
There are several reasons this explanation does not quite let him off the hook. First, Musk did not do a more traditional open-palm Roman salute, which is in common usage in gestures of goodwill. He tucked his thumb in, it was a near-exact match to the Sieg Heil banned in Germany. Second, even after the backlash, he made no attempt to clarify or distance himself from the controversy. Instead, he downplayed concerns entirely and joked about the issue, fanning the flames. Ultimately, Musk’s motivations may not be clear, but the results of his actions are impossible to ignore. Misunderstanding or not, the salute was a dangerous misstep-one extremist groups latched onto in a heartbeat.
Whether the salute was accidental or not, Musk’s utter failure to address it responsibly has made him look no less than a racist, unaware of the damage caused by his actions. If he didn’t mean harm, refusal to acknowledge how his actions were perceived indicates a level of arrogance that’s frankly embarrassing. Given his huge influence and the fact, he graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the world (University of Pennsylvania), Musk should have known better, but time and again, this proves that being a genius in business and engineering intelligence does not excuse ignorance in another.
