President Donald Trump's close ally, tech billionaire Elon Musk, caused an explosion of controversy on the day of Trump's swearing-in by repeatedly making an arm gesture that social media commentators and historians compared to a Nazi salute.
Trump allies quickly denied that Musk had any Nazi intentions, along with Musk himself, and some suggested he was just enthusiastically gesturing at his heart. But Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), a Jewish lawmaker who heads up the House's antisemitism task force, said in a statement there was no mistaking what we all saw.
"Elon Musk has repeatedly pushed for the racist and antisemitic 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory, endorsed the Nazi-sympathizing German Political Party AfD, and allowed anti-Jewish hate to proliferate unabated on his website, X," said Goldman. "Viewed in that context, and regardless of any justification, his salute last night at Donald Trump's inauguration rally can only be interpreted as a Seig Heil salute that is synonymous with Nazi support for Hitler."
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"Just as the Proud Boys understood Donald Trump's urging to 'stand back and stand by' as a direction to mastermind the January 6 riot, neo-Nazi and far-right extremists have interpreted Musk's salute to refer to the Seig Heil salute to Hitler," Goldman continued. "It is no coincidence that Musk's fascistic salute occurred just hours before President Trump pardoned far-right, violent domestic extremists who assaulted law enforcement officers at President Trump's direction in an effort to overturn the 2020 election."
In an environment where "Jews around the world are scared because of the contemptible rise in antisemitism," Goldman continued, the only acceptable recourse is for Musk to issue an "immediate apology," and for Trump to "disavow and denounce his actions."
"If not, Donald Trump cannot credibly claim to be a friend of the Jewish people with Elon Musk by his side," Goldman concluded.