Elon Musk has responded to claims of his fascist gesture during his speech at Donald Trump's inauguration.
The DOGE chief joined a lineup of celebrities, politicians and leaders of tech in Washington on January 20 to support President Trump's return to the White House.
Trump’s big day featured a fiery speech outlining his vision for the country - one which received a viral reaction from former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
But it was Musk’s appearance that became the talk of the news when he made a salute that many felt was fascist during his speech at the Capitol One Arena.
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While enthusiastically proposing his vision of planting an American flag on Mars, the Tesla CEO pounded his chest and shot his right arm in an angular motion toward the sky, saying he felt it in his 'heart.'
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He then turned his back to the audience and repeated the gesture towards the American flag hanging over the stage.
"My heart goes out to you," Musk then told supporters. "It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured."
The X (formerly Twitter) owner then thanked the crowd for their role in securing Trump’s victory against Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and thus, 'making it happen'. His controversial gesture quickly went viral, with critics accusing the billionaire of mimicking a Nazi salute.
Comments flooded social media platforms, with one Bluesky user bluntly stating, “Yeah, Elon gave a Sieg Heil,” while others directly referred to it as a “Nazi salute.”
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Many suggested that Musk’s gesture resembled a 'Roman salute' which was historically used by soldiers in ancient Rome to show respect and loyalty to their commanders. The gesture was later adopted in some forms by fascist states including Nazi Germany. Hours later, Musk responded to the criticism in a post on X.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks," he shared. "The “everyone is Hitler” attack is so tired.”
Musk also reposted a message from 2022 in which he declared that he was no longer a Democrat due to them becoming a 'party of division & hate'. As a result, he was awaiting a 'dirty tricks campaign' to unfold against him.
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Meanwhile, liberals and MAGA supporters claimed that there was nothing in Musk’s animated pro-Trump speech that explicitly referenced fascism and Nazism.
And it’s almost certain the tech mogul would deny any such intention during the inauguration celebration.
“This is a delicate moment," The Anti-Defamation League later stated. "It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.
"It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge."