Yesterday, Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump once again became the President of the United States. There were plenty of ridiculous and jaw-dropping moments at the Inauguration Ceremony and in its aftermath that run the gamut from Melania wearing that hat to the news that President Trump was pardoning roughly 1,500 people who participated in the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Perhaps the most talked about moment, however, is when Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X, the richest man in the world and a public supporter of President Trump, did what many are calling a Nazi salute or Sieg Heil.
But did he really do a Nazi salute? Why are some blaming autism? And what have the responses been from notable Jews, Jewish institutions like the Anti-Defamation League and jokesters on social media? It’s a lot to untangle, so let’s dive in.
So, what happened?
Following Donald Trump’s Inauguration Ceremony, an Inauguration rally was held at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Among the speakers was Elon Musk. He thanked the crowd for “making it happen” and then things get dicey.
Let’s roll the tape:
Yikes. So we’re clear: Elon Musk extended a straight, right arm with his palm facing down. He did this to the crowd in front of him and then immediately did it again to the crowd behind him. Per the ADL, a Nazi salute consists of “raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down.”
What has the response been?
Pretty quickly, those watching the Inauguration began to liken the gesture to a Nazi salute, particularly on X.
Here are thoughts from New York University history professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat:
This is what Mike Rothschild, author of “Jewish Space Lasers” and other works on antisemitic conspiracy theories, had to say:
Jewish Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) condemned what he called an “abhorrent gesture”:
And, as a final example, historian Claire Aubin, who specializes in Nazism within the United States, offered her opinion:
Has anyone notable claimed that it wasn’t a Nazi salute?
Yes, there are some who argue that Musk was not doing a Sieg Heil.
Most notable among this group is the ADL, who described the incident as “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.”
(For what it’s worth, early last year, Jewish Currents reported on disagreements within the organization about CEO Jonathan Greenblatt’s perceived willingness to praise Elon Musk despite his espousing of antisemitic and white nationalist rhetoric. But more on Elon Musk’s history with antisemitism later…)
Newsweek Opinion Editor Batya Ungar-Sargon blamed the situation on Musk’s autism spectrum disorder:
It’s also worth mentioning that the BBC reported on a now-deleted tweet from Andrea Stroppa, an Italian confidant of Musk’s, which read: “Roman Empire is back starting from Roman salute.”
Wait… Can autism cause you to do a Nazi salute?
*Takes a long drag of a cigarette*
I can’t believe I have to say this, but no. Here are some thoughts from people on the autism spectrum about the situation:
Also, what is a “Roman salute”?
Per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “The Nazi salute was itself borrowed from Italian fascists, who adapted it from the ancient Romans. Musk has venerated (and shared imagery of himself in) ancient Rome and has suggested America faces problems like those that led to the end of the Roman Empire.”
So, essentially, a Roman salute and a Sieg Heil are connected.
Has Musk clarified what his intentions were?
On X, Musk denied the allegations that it was a Nazi salute, calling them “dirty tricks.”
“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote.
Cool.
Wait, has Musk been accused of antisemitism before?
Yes, Elon Musk has been accused of antisemitism before. As recently as Dec. 20, 2024, Musk shared support for Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany on X, writing, “Only the AfD can save Germany.”
“The AfD is one of the most extreme right parties in Europe, with many German political figures indicating it has connections to Nazism. This is completely messed up,” Nadav Pollack, a former fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, responded on X. As a matter of fact, AfD leader Björn Höcke has been fined by German courts multiple times for using the Nazi era phrase, “Alles für Deutschland,” meaning “Everything for Germany.” Other leaders of the party have been accused of downplaying the Holocaust. Incidentally, Elon Musk’s own father has accused his maternal grandparents of being Nazi party members in Canada. While these claims are unsubstantiated, there’s ample evidence that Musk’s maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman, was an antisemite and pro-South African apartheid.
Since Musk took over X in 2022, per Ron Kampeas at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “his statements and associations with ideas and figures promoting antisemitic rhetoric have rattled Jewish communal watchdogs.” During his time as the owner of X, he has allowed right-wing extremists like Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes back on the platform, removed guardrails from X which prevent against hate speech and has threatened to sue the ADL for tracking extremism on the site. In 2023, in response to an antisemitic tweet which read, in part, “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,” Musk responded, “You have said the actual truth.”
Musk has since apologized for endorsing the post, as well as visited Israel and Auschwitz.
I can’t believe I’m saying this… What do the Nazis think?
As reported by Rolling Stone, right-wing extremists are “abuzz” over Musk’s salute.
“I don’t care if this was a mistake,” Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, shared on Telegram. “I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.” Along with this message, he posted a video of the salute with two lightning bolt emojis, evoking the Nazi SS logo.
“Incredible things are happening already lmao,” wrote Andrew Torba, founder of far-right Christian Nationalist social media platform Gab and pioneer of AI-powered Nazi chatbots. (Yes, I know. Ew.) The Ohio Chapter of white nationalist hate group The Proud Boys shared the video with the caption “Hail Trump.”
That’s basically all I can stomach of sharing neo-Nazis and white nationalists. For further positive responses to Elon Musk’s salute, you can read the full Rolling Stone article here.
Well, are there at least any good jokes to help us laugh through the pain?
Yeah, I got you.
So, what’s the bottom line here?
I can’t speak to whether Elon Musk intentionally performed a Sieg Heil or Roman salute at Trump’s post-Inauguration rally. Only Elon knows what his intent was and, while he claims he wasn’t doing a Nazi salute, I wouldn’t count Elon Musk as a reliable source on antisemitism. What I can speak to is impact. The impact of what Elon Musk did is a Nazi salute. Historians of fascism and Nazism are telling us this with their expertise. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists are telling us this with their glee and energized attitude. And for many, that the ADL isn’t willing to condemn it is confounding and seriously hurts their credibility in and out of the Jewish community.
If this is any indication of the second Trump administration, I think we’re in for a rough foreseeable future.
