US billionaire Elon Musk sparked outrage after he was seen making potential "Heil Hitler" salutes during President Donald Trump's inauguration.
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."
Musk made the salute three times at the parade following the presidential swearing in ceremony on live television.
"Can you imagine how awesome it will be to have American astronauts plant the flag on another planet for the first time?" Elon Musk says he's "so excited about the future". Latest: https://t.co/vUOmnjrucF 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/boNAT5GzIo
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 20, 2025
He appeared on stage in front of 20,000 people and made the gesture 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."
He went on to say that he was excited about the future, telling the crowd he was inspired by the prospect of landing American astronauts on Mars.
During his speech earlier in the day, President Trump pledged to pursue policy that “expands our territory” and to put US astronauts on the red planet – a promise undoubtedly popular with Musk, a major Trump supporter who has long pursued the same goal.
Musk said: "I'm super fired up for the future. It's going to be very exciting, as the president said, we're going to have a golden age."
The Anti-Defamation League describes the salute Musk appeared to perform as "the most common white supremacist hand sign in the world".
It states: "The Nazi or Hitler salute debuted in Nazi Germany in the 1930s as a way to pay homage to Adolf Hitler.
"It consists of raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down. In Nazi Germany, it was often accompanied by chanting or shouting 'Heil Hitler' or 'Sieg Heil'."
