There are the fans at Washington's Capital One Arena, who mostly saw a physically uncontrollable Elon Musk on stage on Monday, January 20, the evening of Donald Trump's inauguration as president of the US. Then there are the spectators who saw the footage – a right arm outstretched twice – and cringed. Finally, those who saw the photograph of the first outstretched arm had no doubts and came to the conclusion that Musk, an important member of the Trump administration, had voluntarily made a Nazi salute. In the US, the incident is a source of embarrassment, but it has by no means taken on the scale it has in Europe.
The Wall Street Journal published the video of what it called the "enthusiastic" speech. The Washington Post did the same, describing the address as "exuberant," but cutting off the first arm raised. On CNN, interpretations differed between the cautious on-the-spot reporter and studio anchor Erin Burnett, who saw the gesture as a Nazi salute.
'Throwing your heart out to the crowd'
Only the New York Times published a detailed article entitled: "Elon Musk ignites online speculation over the meaning of a hand gesture," stating in a subtitle that "Mr. Musk twice extended his arm out with his palm facing down, drawing comparisons to the Nazi salute."
What's ironic about the situation is that the debate is taking place on the billionaire's reviled platform, and mainstream media articles are linking to it. "I never imagined we would see the day when what appears to be a Heil Hitler salute would be made behind the presidential seal," wrote Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler on X. "This abhorrent gesture has no place in our society and belongs in the darkest chapters of human history." The Republicans against Trump group, which has nearly 800,000 followers on X, posted an excerpt of the gesture with this comment, "Wait, did Musk just do a Nazi salute?"
Musk defended himself. "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired," he posted on X. He received support from the Anti-Defamation League, an association that has been fighting anti-Semitism in the US since the 1910s: "Our politics are inflamed and social media only adds to the anxiety. It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let's hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead."
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