Elon Musk has been slammed online after his gesture at Trump’s inauguration was compared to a “Nazi salute.” However, some of his biggest fans rushed to his defense calling it a Roman salute and trying to downplay the connection to World War II Germany.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO dismissed the comparison to the Nazi and wrote on X that his critics “need better dirty tricks.”
“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he added.
During the 2024 campaign, Musk joined forces with President Donald Trump, helping him win by donating more than $250 million to the efforts to get Trump elected. Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion and renamed it X, faced widespread backlash for seemingly mimicking a Nazi salute multiple times during his appearance in Capital One Arena in downtown Washington.
The salute, also known as the Roman salute, involves putting your arm forward with fingers together and your palm downwards. It’s alleged to have been used in ancient Rome, but there’s no Roman text that describes the salute. In the 1930s and 1940s, it became associated with the Nazi party in Germany.
The move became popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries in artworks and theatre performances, showing Romans saluting as a way of greeting each other, Newsweek noted.
The salute was used as a symbol in the Neoclassical art movement to display Roman virtues such as honor, patriotism and civic duty.
In the 20th century, it was put to use by fascists in Italy and the Nazi party in Germany. Both also used a number of other Roman and Neoclassical symbols.
The salute quickly became synonymous with the German Nazi party, with military staff and citizens being forced to do the salute and say “Heil Hitler” or “Sieg Heil.”
Following World War II, it has been widely seen as a salute used by fascists and for symbolizing white supremacy. Doing the movement is outlawed in Germany, Austria and Slovakia and it’s restricted in several other countries such as the U.K. and Canada.
Musk sparked controversy when he used the salute on Monday during Trump’s indoor parade and rally.
"I just want to say thank you for making it happen, thank you,” he said before putting his hand to his chest and extending his arm up towards the crowd, his fingers outstretched and his palm down.
“My heart goes out to you. It’s because of you that the future of civilization is assured,” he said after having done the salute.
The Anti-Defamation League wrote on X in part that “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.”
“Thanks guys,” Musk wrote in response along with a laughing emoji.
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the ADL’s response, writing, “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity. 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.”
