Elon Musk waded into controversy on Monday when he gave back-to-back fascist-style salutes during celebrations of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.
“I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” the owner of SpaceX, X and Tesla, the richest person on earth and a major Trump donor and adviser, told Trump supporters at the Capital One Arena in Washington.
Musk then slapped his right hand into his chest, fingers splayed, before shooting out his right arm on an upwards diagonal, fingers together and palm facing down.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against antisemitism, defines the Nazi salute as “raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down”.
As the crowd roared, Musk turned and saluted again, his arm and hand slightly lower.
“My heart goes out to you,” Musk said, striking himself on the chest again. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you. We’re gonna have safe cities, finally safe cities. Secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff. And we’re gonna take ‘Doge’ to Mars.”
That was a reference to the so-called “department of government efficiency”, the federal cost-cutting effort to which Musk was appointed by the president, and remarks in Trump’s inaugural address in which he said the US would send astronauts to Mars.
Musk asked his audience to imagine American astronauts planting the flag on another planet, miming such actions and shouting: “Bam! Bam!”
He was speaking in advance of Trump’s scheduled appearance at the arena, for inaugural parade events moved indoors due to cold weather. Trump was expected to sign executive orders on stage.
Social media users expressed shock at Musk’s gesture. Eric Feigl-Ding, a public health expert who rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Trump was last in office, wrote: “My God … Musk just did the N[a]zi salute live on TV.”
Musk did not immediately comment. On X, he retweeted footage of his remarks that included the second salute.
Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, described Musk delivering “a Roman salute, a fascist salute most commonly associated with Nazi Germany”.
As described by the ADL, in Germany between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi salute “was often accompanied by chanting or shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ or ‘Sieg Heil.’ Since world war two, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have continued to use the salute, making it the most common white supremacist hand sign in the world.”
In a statement posted to social media later on Monday, the ADL said: “This is a delicate moment. 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 Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”
Trump has however widely been accused of being a white supremacist and indeed compared to Hitler – not least by JD Vance, now Trump’s vice-president, before the former Marine and author entered Republican politics and changed his tune.
Musk’s engagement with and support for the global far right continues to prove controversial. Last week, he hosted Alice Weidel, leader of Alternative für Deutschland, a far-right German party, for a conversation on X.
Weidel contended that Hitler “wasn’t a conservative, he wasn’t a libertarian, he was a communist, socialist guy, and we are the opposite”.
Musk agreed.
On Monday, some prominent far-right social media users celebrated Musk’s gestures onstage in Washington, however he had meant them.
As first reported by Rolling Stone, Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group, wrote on Telegram: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.” Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a far-right social media platform, also wrote: “Incredible things are happening already.”
Read more of the Guardian’s Trump coverage
Trump embraces role of demagogue, claims to be ‘peacemaker’ – follow live inauguration updates
Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes
Activists ask: is there any point in mass protest?
