The Wall Street Journal raced to the defense of the world's richest man on Wednesday evening to ward off what it claimed was "disinformation" peddled by Democrats, who soundly rebuked Elon Musk over his salute that drew comparisons to a Hitler salute.
Musk put his hand on his chest and then raised it in a salute during a speech to a cheering MAGA crowd at President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally earlier this week.
Critics including Democrats and historians expressed outrage over the gesture.
“What do you think of Elon Musk, perhaps the President’s most visible adviser, doing two ‘heil Hitler’ salutes last night at the President’s televised rally?” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) asked Elise Stefanik, nominated to be Ambassador to the United Nations.
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The Journal's editorial board took issue with such criticisms.
"What an object lesson in the laundering of a kooky online smear," the board railed Wednesday evening. "Roll back the tape, and Mr. Musk is reacting to a roaring arena as he says the 2024 election really mattered, and his heart goes out to the crowd. He slaps his chest and waves an arm toward the audience. The peanut gallery on social media went nuts, suggesting it was an intentional Nazi salute, which mainstream outlets then cited to justify covering the supposed controversy."
The editorial board noted that the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to combatting antisemitism, publicly defended Musk as well, writing on Musk's X platform: "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 edge."
Musk, the Journal argued, might just be "awkward."
It pointed to a "Saturday Night Live" segment in which Musk joked he may make history as "the first person with Asperger’s to host." The board also pointed to his less-than-graceful leap at a Trump campaign rally last year, in which he exposed part of his midriff.
"No, he’s really a Nazi, some Democrats now say," chided the Journal, before quoting Rep. Jerrold Nadler saying, "I never imagined we would see the day when what appears to be a Heil Hitler salute would be made behind the Presidential seal. I urge all of my colleagues to unite in condemning this hateful gesture for what it is: antisemitism.”
"There it is, the birth of a partisan talking point—and the spreading of disinformation," the editorial board concluded.