A Milwaukee meteorologist has been fired from her TV station after she criticized Elon Musk’s apparent fascist salutes during Donald Trump’s inaugural celebrations.
On Wednesday, staff members at the CBS affiliate Channel 58 were notified of the meteorologist Sam Kuffel’s departure from the news station, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
In a staff memo obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Channel 58’s news director, Jessie Garcia, wrote: “Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58,” adding: “A search for a replacement is underway.”
Kuffel’s departure from Channel 58 came after Dan O’Donnell, a far-right Milwaukee-based radio host, criticized Kuffel over her two apparent Instagram posts in which she wrote: “Dude Nazi saluted twice. Twice. During the inauguration. You fuck with this and this man, I don’t fuck with you. Full stop.”
In her second post, Kuffel appeared to post a screenshot of a scene from the FX sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia in which Rob McElhenney’s character Mac says: “Screw that old bitch. He’s a Nazi.”
Calling Kuffel’s posts “vulgar”, O’Donnell took to X and wrote: “EXCLUSIVE: @CBS58 meteorologist Sam Kuffel makes a pair of vulgar Instagram posts while spreading the lie that Elon Musk was giving a Nazi salute during yesterday’s Presidential Inauguration.”
As of Thursday, Kuffel’s Instagram was made private. The Guardian has contacted Kuffel, Channel 58 and its owner, Weigel Broadcasting, for comment.
According to Kuffel’s LinkedIn profile, she joined Channel 58 in December 2019.
Supporters of Kuffel were quick to respond on social media, with one user writing on X: “Shame on @CBS58 for firing Sam Kuffel for naming @elonmusk’s Nazi salute. Shame on @DanODonnellShow for mobilizing trolls to harass her & call for her job. This dark chapter of our country’s history will eventually be over and we’ll all remember who showed integrity & who didn’t.”
Another user wrote: “Elon Musk absolutely made a Nazi salute. It’s identical to the salute being made by Blood Tribe Nazis at this rally in 2024. I hope this reporter, Sam Kuffel, sues the station and wins.”
Someone else echoed similar sentiments, writing: “Seriously, how could a NEWS organization FIRE someone for describing LITERALLY what this Nazi was doing – on her own personal social media page? It’s one thing if she did it on the air, but it was her social media. We are in DEEP trouble, folks.”
The Anti-Defamation League, a non-governmental organization focused on combating antisemitism, defines the Nazi salute as consisting of “raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down”.
Despite its definition of the salute, the organization was quick to defend Musk’s gestures, calling it instead an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm”.
Musk’s fascist gesture has received widespread backlash online, with the New York University history professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat saying: “Historian of fascism here. It was Nazi salute and a very belligerent one.”
The New York Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the ADL’s refusal to condemn the gesture, saying: “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.”
Meanwhile, far-right figures have rejoiced in the salute, with Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe writing on Telegram: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it,” the Rolling Stone first reported.
Similarly, Andrew Torba, founder of the far-right social media platform Gab, said: “Incredible things are happening already.”
