We’re watching American democracy die before our eyes.
Source: Wired
Neo-Nazis are celebrating Elon Musk making two Nazi-like salutes during a speech to tens of thousands of President Donald Trump supporters on Monday.
“Elections come and go, some elections are important, some are not, but this one really mattered,” Musk said during his address inside the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, hours after Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. “And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.”
At this point, Musk put his right hand on his chest before extending it straight out with his palm facing down and his fingers touching, a gesture widely recognized as the “Roman salute.” Adopted by the fascist movement a century ago, it was most famously used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany, and is to this day associated with the fascist right, especially in Italy.
Tellingly, Musk’s own X platform cut out the Nazi salute when it posted his speech.
.@ElonMusk‘s account shared video of the speech. Here is how that moment compares to the video that aired on @CSPAN. pic.twitter.com/KZV1WhdYVG
— Azi™️ (@Azi) January 20, 2025
But the neo-nazis saw it and they were ecstatic. Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a social media platform popular with white supremacists.
Evan Kilgore, Christian Nationalist/White Supremacist/TPUSA put it this way:
Christopher Paulhaus on the neo-nazi group Blood Tribe claims Elon Musk is their largest sponsor.
A channel that posts Hitler’s speeches online added Elon to their Hall of Fame.
Sieg Heil??
Are we so back? pic.twitter.com/IYy4ZrpMmU
— Uncensored Speech (@UncutSpeech) January 20, 2025
The largest organization formed to combat antisemitism and bigotry saw nothing wrong with it, however. The Anti-Defamation League was rightly slagged for it too.
This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.
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…
— ADL (@ADL) January 20, 2025
And for those saying it was not what it looked like, try doing it at your workplace and see what happens.
I mean, of course.
Who the hell did y’all think he was thanking? 🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/g0wKrkHBDo
— Paige (@paigeinkansas) January 20, 2025
