ELON Musk has responded after he was seen making potential "Heil Hitler" salutes during President Donald Trump's inauguration.
The US billionaire made the gesture three times at the rally following the presidential swearing in ceremony on live television.
He appeared on stage in front of 20,000 people and made the salute after saying: "There are elections that come and go. Some elections are important, some are not. But this one really mattered.
"I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you."
The Jerusalem Post, an English-language Israeli paper, reported that the Tesla owner had appeared to "Sieg Heil at [the] Trump inauguration".
The paper later suggested it was "a Heil Hitler salute".
The Times of Israel, another large Israeli outlet, reported: "Elon Musk appears to perform fascist salute at inauguration event."
But now, the owner of Tesla and social media site X - formerly Twitter - has responded, saying the claims are “dirty tricks”.
Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The “everyone is Hitler” attack is sooo tired 😴 https://t.co/9fIqS5mWA0
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2025
Responding to a user on Twitter/X, he said (above): “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The “everyone is Hitler” attack is sooo tired.”
Musk also heaped praise on Trump throughout the rally, repeating Trump’s promise of a coming “golden age” for the country.
“It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured,” Musk told the crowd at Capital One Arena.
On social media, Musk posted his approval of Trump returning to power for a second term: “The Return of the King.”
During the inauguration inside the Capitol Rotunda, Musk was seated in a row that included other tech giants, including Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
All were seated behind Trump’s wife, Melania, and children, though Musk was seated closest to Trump.
The treatment follows a hearty embrace by Trump of Musk, the world’s wealthiest person.
Musk contributed roughly 200 million dollars (£162m) to America PAC, a super political action committee that worked to organise Trump support last autumn.
The proximity of so many of the world’s wealthiest people to Trump’s incoming government led former president Joe Biden to warn of a burgeoning US oligarchy of tech billionaires.
