January 21st 2025.
On January 20, inside the bustling Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., tech mogul Elon Musk made two gestures that caused quite a stir. It was at President-elect Donald Trump's "Victory Rally" and many, including historians and experts on German history, were quick to interpret these gestures as Nazi salutes.
According to reports from Wired, Musk was quick to deny any implications of his gestures by downplaying them on social media and even sharing a doctored video on his account. He wrote, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired." For those who were unaware of the context, Musk was indeed giving the Nazi salute on that day, not once but twice. This was confirmed by renowned historian and writer, Mike Stuchbery, who has extensively studied and taught about Nazi Germany.
Despite Musk's attempts to brush off the issue, the evidence speaks for itself. Neo-Nazis from all over the world have responded to Musk's gestures with excitement. Investigative journalist Nick Martin, who tracks extremist groups, stated that there was no mistaking Musk's actions as Nazi salutes. "The entire neo-Nazi movement seems to be eating it up," he said. "He gave two unmistakable Nazi salutes and they got the message loud and clear."
One of those who openly praised Musk's actions was Evan Kilgore, a known Holocaust denier and far-right political commentator. He quickly took to Musk's platform to express his delight, writing, "Holy crap...did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler at the Trump Inauguration Rally in Washington DC...This is incredible." Kilgore's enthusiasm was evident in his follow-up tweet, where he said, "We are so back."
Musk has come under fire in the past for his support and promotion of far-right ideologies. He has even gone as far as to publicly endorse Germany's far-right party, Alternative for Germany, and has expressed belief in the conspiracy theory that Hitler, a well-known Nazi leader, was actually a communist.
In a surprising move, the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to fighting anti-semitism, released a statement on Musk's platform claiming that they do not believe his gestures were Nazi salutes. This statement was met with widespread criticism, with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even calling out the ADL for their stance. "Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity," she wrote. "People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all."
This controversy has not only raised concerns about Musk's political leanings and associations but has also sparked a larger conversation about the spread of far-right ideologies on social media platforms like the one owned by Musk. The World Bank even pulled their advertising from Musk's platform following reports of their ads appearing alongside racist content.
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