On Jan. 20, the day of the presidential inauguration, Elon Musk gave a speech which he concluded with not one, but two Nazi salutes. Although the gesture was obvious and easily identifiable as a Nazi salute, many people are arguing that it was instead just an awkward gesture.
They are arguing this despite the fact that, in the past, Musk has responded to and agreed with antisemitic conspiracy posts on his own platform X. He also made a video appearance at a campaign event for the far-right Alternative for Germany party in which he said, “There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that,” and that he considered the anti-immigration, anti-cultural integration party, “the best hope for Germany.” This party has been labeled as an expected extremist group by Germany’s national security services.
Additionally, the video of Musk’s salute and a video of a member of the Proud Boys doing a Nazi salute are being put side by side all over the internet. They are exactly identical, frame for frame. Elon Musk’s gesture at the 2025 Presidential Inauguration was a Nazi salute.
What I also find extremely unsettling is Musk’s response to the accusations against him. Instead of apologizing for a Nazi salute — a symbol of fascism, hatred, antisemitism, racism and mass genocide — he tried to turn it into a joke. On X he wrote, “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down,” referencing prominent German Nazis. And, let’s be real here, those jokes really just aren’t even good, but has Elon Musk ever been a funny person? The answer is no.
If you don’t believe me, let’s look to an actual German — a German journalist said, “A Hitler Salute is a Hitler Salute is a Hitler Salute.” It does not matter whether he meant it, but what does matter is that he did it. A majority of the global population is aware of the Holocaust and what a Nazi salute represents. To “accidentally” replicate it exactly not once, but twice, is difficult to believe.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, said, “Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.” Musk refuses to make any real comments on the incident and continues to post on X instead. He went on to call the accusations “dirty tricks,” but has still refused to apologize for the way it came across, or even defend what he did.
Elon Musk does not care about the American people. He only cares about himself, yet he will have a significant stake in the decisions he makes in the Department of Government Efficiency. Although Musk has been a public figure for a large portion of his life, he has never held a single government position. Allowing people without experience into influential government positions and giving them a platform to influence the entire world leads to instances like this one that ultimately diminish the power and global rapport of the United States. Giving Musk a platform created controversy as soon as he hit that podium — the very first thing he did was followed by valid Nazi accusations. It is extremely dangerous for a country like the United States to be represented by someone like Musk who does not consider the very real repercussions of his reckless actions.
Elon Musk is a part of, arguably, the most powerful government in the world. He should be held accountable for his actions and should not treat his influential position as a joke. By making the Nazi salute and by responding without remorse or reflection, he is cultivating a cultural environment devoid of empathy and compassion. Individuals in any kind of leadership position must be aware of the way they affect and influence other people. When Elon Musk was addressing an entire nation and the entire world, he should have been cognizant of his actions and his words. When Elon Musk responded on social media, he should have been cognizant of the exact same things.
An Anglican priest ended a speech at the National Pro-Life Summit with the same gesture in an attempt to mock the people calling Musk out. He was fired. However, the most damning evidence is that right-wing extremists are celebrating the gesture, even if he didn’t mean it. “Did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler …” right-wing commentator Evan Kilgore posted on X. “We are so back.” If right-wing, antisemetic extremists think it was a Nazi salute, that’s an aggressive, flashing, neon sign that maybe, just maybe, we should be terrified.
Zion Schenk likes to write about politics, art and culture. Email her at [email protected]