The Anti-Defamation League defended the tech billionaire, saying he made an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.”
Tech billionaire Elon Musk is under fire for making a gesture that resembles a Nazi salute during a speech celebrating President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Speaking to Trump supporters on Monday, hours after the Republican was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Musk praised the results of the Nov. 4 election as “no ordinary victory.”
“This was a fork in the road for human civilization,” Musk said at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
“This was really important. Thank you for making this happen! Thank you.”
Musk then slapped his chest with his right hand and extended his arm upward with his palm facing down and his fingers together.
Wait, did Musk just give a Nazi salute? pic.twitter.com/VZChlQXSYv
— Republicans Against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 20, 2025
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who is tasked with leading the Trump administration’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency, then turned to face the crowd and repeated the gesture.
Musk’s actions quickly garnered attention online, with some social media users accusing him of giving the infamous Sieg Heil salute, named after Adolf Hitler.
“I never imagined the day would come when something like the Heil Hitler salute would be performed behind the presidential seal,” Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York said in a post on X.
“This abhorrent act has no place in our society and belongs to the darkest chapter of human history. I call on all my colleagues to unite in condemning this hateful act of anti-Semitism. I appeal to you.”
Musk’s gesture was praised by many U.S.-based neo-Nazis and garnered attention in Israeli media, with Haaretz newspaper reporting that Musk “did the ‘Roman salute,’ the fascist salute most commonly associated with the Nazis.” It seems like he did.” Germany”.
In response to the controversy, Musk said his critics needed “more dirty tricks.”
“I’m tired of the ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack,” Musk wrote in an X post with a sleepy face emoji.
Al Jazeera reached out to Musk’s lawyers and numerous companies for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
“It’s not a Nazi salute.”
Some people and organizations came to Musk’s defense, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the most prominent organizations fighting anti-Semitism.
The New York-based group has faced criticism for conflating opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism, but the billionaire said it was an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm rather than a Nazi salute.” He said it seems like he did.
“At this point, all parties should give each other a little grace, perhaps the benefit of the doubt, and take a breather,” ADL said in a post to X.
“This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”
Max Kaiser, executive director of the Jewish Council of Australia, said he believed Mr Musk “unequivocally” gave the Nazi salute and criticized the ADL for defending the billionaire.
“This was a clear signal to his fanatical white supremacist and neo-Nazi followers that he aligns with their values,” Kaiser told Al Jazeera.
“His platform ‘X’ is well known for promoting racist neo-Nazi content and has recently supported Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD). We should all be very concerned that the right-hand man of the most powerful man in the world is a Nazi. The ADL continues to embarrass itself by defending Mr. Musk’s gesture while baselessly attacking expressions of pro-Palestinian solidarity as anti-Semitic. ”
Musk’s politics have shifted sharply to the right since he publicly announced his support for Trump after the Republican narrowly escaped death in an assassination attempt in July.
Earlier this month, the billionaire sat down with AfD leader Alice Weidel on his social media platform X after supporting the leader in February’s national elections.