Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has come under fire after making a controversial gesture at an event celebrating the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday. The gesture, which Musk made on stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, has sparked accusations of a "Nazi salute" from critics, while others have defended it as a misunderstood expression.
Musk, who is the CEO of X, SpaceX, and Tesla, appeared before a crowd of Trump supporters, thanking them for re-electing the 78-year-old Republican. As he spoke, Musk tapped the left side of his chest with his right hand and then extended his arm with an open palm, repeating the gesture for the audience behind him.
Historians and commentators quickly weighed in. Claire Aubin, a specialist in Nazism within the United States, confirmed that the gesture resembled a "sieg heil" salute, commonly associated with Nazi symbolism. "My professional opinion is that you're all right, you should believe your eyes," Aubin posted on X, supporting those who interpreted the gesture as a Nazi reference.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian of fascism, also criticized the gesture, calling it "a Nazi salute – and a very belligerent one too." Several Democratic Party members, including Congressman Jimmy Gomez, condemned the move, with Gomez posting on X, "Well, that didn't take long."
Despite the backlash, Musk has not publicly addressed the controversy, although he has posted multiple times on X since the incident. Some rally attendees, such as Brandon Galambos, a 29-year-old pastor, dismissed the gesture as a joke, attributing it to Musk's sarcastic sense of humor.
Far-right figures, including writer Evan Kilgore, celebrated the move, with Kilgore calling it "incredible." Musk has previously expressed support for Germany's far-right AfD party and the British anti-immigration group Reform UK, which has raised further concerns about his political affiliations.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization dedicated to combating anti-Semitism, weighed in, stating that Musk’s gesture appeared to be an awkward display of enthusiasm rather than a deliberate Nazi salute. "It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute," the ADL said in a statement on X.
However, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the ADL's defense, calling the gesture a "Heil Hitler salute" performed "for emphasis and clarity."
Historians such as Aaron Astor also weighed in, rejecting the Nazi allegations. "I have criticized Elon Musk many times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform," Astor wrote on X, but added, "This gesture is not a Nazi salute. It’s a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says 'my heart goes out to you.'" Musk revealed in 2021 that he had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.