On Jan. 20, the world’s richest man, founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk delivered a memorably controversial speech at President Trump’s inauguration rally in Washington, D.C.
In the span of approximately three-and-a-half minutes, Musk emphasized the importance of the 2024 presidential election outcome, conveyed how excited he was for the future of the United States and thanked Trump supporters for their vote with a gesture that was disturbingly reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s “Sieg Heil.”
This was not the first time public support of President Trump has been accompanied by symbols of Hitler’s reign. The Conversation reported that TV commentator Laura Ingraham ended a fiery speech endorsing then-candidate Trump in 2016 with a rigidly outstretched arm with her palm down, and, in 2021, the Conservative Political Action Conference set up its center stage in the shape of an odal rune. This odal rune is an ancient pagan symbol coopted by Germany’s Nazi regime and worn prominently during World War II on the uniforms of the brutal Waffen SS units.
The New York Times notes that before World War II, the Bellamy salute in the U.S consisted of a hand over one’s heart followed by an outstretched arm in a show of patriotism and loyalty. The latter gesture was quickly discontinued post-World War II to not be mistaken for neo-Nazism.
Nevertheless, according to The Conversation, Trump himself has not criticized or disassociated his image from displays of neo-Nazism in his support. Musk took it one step further to make light of allegations against him. On X, Musk posted a series of comments: “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations!” and “Bet you did nazi that coming.” The comments were condemned by the Anti-Defamation League–an organization formed to combat anti-semitism in the U.S–after it had initially shown support for his “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.”
Regardless of Musk’s intentions with that particular gesture, there is concrete evidence of his support and active recruitment of right-wing parties across Europe. Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University and San Bernardino said, “Even if it was accidental, the gesture Musk did has the power to hurt people,” reported by AP News.
Levin further emphasizes the potentially dangerous interpretation of the gesture as a call to arms by far right supremacists in a worldwide sociopolitical regression as Musk’s web of connections grows. This seems evident as Musk made a point to thank the Republican Party at the rally for their contribution to the future of civilization, saying they will now finally have “safe cities, secure borders, sensible spending…basic stuff,” despite President Trump’s plan to raise the cost of living and erase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts like the Department of Education as well as other multicultural and intersectional recognition, rights and initiatives.
Musk’s speech and symbolic gesture thus highlights who exactly he is promising a safe and secure country to and how that goal will be achieved, ushering in an era of far right extremism, conservatism and a repetition of the worst parts of history.