After Elon Musks’ controversial gesture at a Trump Inauguration rally, the people took to the internet to make the connection to the Nazi salute. On Monday, Musk thanked the crowd for “making it happen,” before placing his right hand over his chest and then putting the same arm straight out in front of him, palm down. He then turned around and made the gesture a second time. In response to the backlash, he tweeted, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Some do not believe Musk would make such an outright display of fascism and seek to protect Musk’s reputation. A confidant of Musk, Andrea Stoppa, was reported to claim the gesture was a Roman salute. Mussolino’s fascist party widely used the Roman salute before being adopted by the Nazi regime. Stoppa then double-downed and blamed Musk’s autism for the offensive salute. She stated that “that gesture, which some mistook for a Nazi salute, is simply Elon, who has autism, expressing his feelings by saying ‘I want to give my heart to you.” Though Musk has autism, it does not excuse his actions. He is a billionaire with plenty of PR training, he should have enough common sense not to make such a gesture, Roman salute or not.
At the end of the day, it is unacceptable to make a salute knowing how it will be seen. Musk is a genius and has years of experience in the media. He knew what he was starting when he made the gesture, especially since his politics had rapidly increased to the right. He has made several statements in support of Germany’s far-right party and has now made a Nazi salute.
