Elon Musk was visibly bursting with excitement after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. At a celebratory rally on Monday at Capitol One Arena in Washington, he pumped his fist in the air and bellowed a “Yes!” to the raucous crowd. But another gesture soon after has sent observers questioning whether Musk was expressing just joy, or something more insidious. “I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO and X owner told the audience of Trump supporters. Musk then slapped his chest with his right hand, before flinging it diagonally upwards, palm face down. He turned around to audience members behind the podium, and repeated the gesture. “My heart goes out to you,” the 53-year-old billionaire said, palm back on his chest. Musk did not directly address the controversy Monday night, though he replied to a number of posts on X about it—thanking the ADL, mocking Ocasio-Cortez, and agreeing with a post that said: “Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing? It didn’t work during the election, it’s not working now, it’s tired, boring, and old material, you’ve burned out its effect, people don’t feel shocked by it anymore, the wolf has been cried too many times.”
Elon Musk has been accused of giving a 'Nazi salute' at Donald Trump’s inauguration - accusations which Musk has dismissed - and the internet has not held back. Musk, who was a big supporter of Trump during his re-election campaign, took to the stage at the inauguration celebration when he made a gesture that many believed to be a fascist one. The world’s richest man was speaking enthusiastically about getting a human on Mars and planting the American flag there. Musk then put his hand to his chest over his heart and threw a straight arm in the air with his palm flat, saying he felt it in his “heart”. As well as directing the gesture to the audience, he also turned back and did it towards a flag of the United States that was hanging behind him. Musk has dismissed the accusations of making a fascist gesture, claiming it is part of a broader campaign against him. He wrote on Twitter/X: "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired. Frankly, they need better dirty tricks."
The X and Tesla boss sparked outrage among many after some said he had made a stiff-armed Roman-style salute in front of Trump's supporters. Responding to the outcry, Musk accused his enemies of engaging in "dirty tricks" to try and smear him. "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired," he added in a post on X, accompanying it with a sleeping emoji. Musk made the apparent gesture while speaking at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC where he was addressing Trump's supporters following the inauguration. During the speech, he put his hand to his chest and said he felt it in his "heart." While speaking about his excitement at the prospect of America landing a man on Mars, the billionaire SpaceX boss pounded his chest with his right arm before raising it stiffly to the sky. He then turned his back to the audience and repeated the gesture as he faced an American flag hanging behind him.
