Tech billionaire Elon Musk shook up social media after a speech he delivered to a cheering MAGA crowd at President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally Monday.
But it wasn’t the speech itself inside the Capitol One Arena that stunned political observers in the first hours of Trump’s new presidency – but the gesture he made at the conclusion that opened up a flood of reaction.
“My god… Musk just did the N*zi Salute live on TV,” health economist Eric Feigl-Ding posted to his Bluesky followers above a screenshot of the moment. He later followed up with a subsequent post: "I’ve ready a dozen pundits including Berlin journalists who agree it’s the Hitler 3rd Reich salute."
“Remember when Democrats called MAGA rallies 'Nazi rallies?' the social media account Art Candee wrote on social media. “President un-elect Elon Musk just did the Nazi Sieg Heil salute. We were right. Absolutely vile.”
“Wait, did Musk just do a Nazi salute?” Republicans against Trump posted to their followers on X.
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“WOW!” Nashville reporter Phil Williams wrote on X. “Checking in on hate group chats, and they are absolutely buzzing by what they perceive to be a Roman salute by Elon Musk,” He followed that up with another post: “He did it twice!”
“My father was shot in the legs and bayonetted in the face during the Battle of the Bulge and other WWII battles,” retired public affairs executive Tim Massie wrote on X. “He and his brother were in the unit that liberated Dachau. I met one of the survivors they saved. I never thought I'd say I this, but I'm glad he's not alive for this.”
“Our new co-president Elon Musk gives a Nazi salute on day one of Trump presidency, Democratic strategist Sawyer Hacket told his own followers on X.
Author Marion McGarry posted to her Bluesky followers: “Just after seeing Elon Musk doing a Nazi salute on the telly. Sweet Jesus.”
Others saw the moment as a call to action.
“Elon Musk just gave a very clear Nazi salute at the Inaugural parade,” Gabrien Gregory, a Democratic organizer in Texas, told his Bluesky followers. “They aren’t hiding it anymore. We need to be ready for the political fight of our lives.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the owner of the social media account "Art Candee." This article has been updated.