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Elon Musk responds to ‘Nazi salute’ claims with weird ‘everyone seems to be Hitler’ excuse

The billionaire tech tycoon was said to have made back-to-back salutes on stage that looked familiar to those made by people celebrating Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany

Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC
Elon Musk made the gesture on stage(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Elon Musk has responded to the claims he made back-to-back Nazi salutes at Donald Trump’s inauguration. The billionaire was in flying form yesterday after the politician he has been cosying up to was sworn in as the 47th US President.

Eagle-eyed spectators took to the divisive figure’s own platform, X (formerly Twitter), to share the nine second clip of Musk on stage at a rally after the official ceremony. The footage shows Musk placing his right hand on his heart before aggressively straightening his arm into what users are describing as a “Nazi salute”.

He made the “odd gesture” twice, one to the front of the crowd, and one with his back turned. In response to accusations swirling all over social media, Musk took to X – where else? – to make a bizarre comment. The billionaire wrote: “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired. Frankly, they need better dirty tricks.”

A hand-coloured photographic portrait of Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler
Supporters of Hitler mad a similar salute(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Critics responded to the post, calling on Elon to be more thoughtful about his messages. One wrote: “Or you could just say, ‘Guys that’s not at all what I meant.’ I mean, there’s always the reasonable approach.”

Another said: “Perhaps you should be more mindful of the messages you display? Wonton free speech (verbally or not) has consequences.”

A third simply wrote: “That’s your defining meme. Good work.”

Supporters of the tech tycoon jumped in to the comment section of the post. One wrote: “CNN is reporting that your favorite video game is Mein Kraft. Care to comment?”

Another wrote: “The media is misleading you. Elon Musk never did a Nazi salute. Watch the full video: He simply gestured and said, “Thank you, my heart goes out to you.”

German chancellor Adolf Hitler gives the Nazi salute during the opening ceremony of the Berlin Olympics in Berlin on August 1, 1936
Eagle-eyed spectators made observations about the odd gesture online(Image: HO/AFP via Getty Images)

At the inauguration, Donald Trump showed a softer side as he was sworn in as the 47th President of the US, a body language expert claims – although he made his thoughts on the outgoing government crystal clear.

Despite laying into the Biden administration, Trump’s slagging off was more mellow than usual, Judi James reckons. The body language expert analysed Trump’s inauguration speech and noted that the famously mouthy man deliberately toned it down for the special occasion.

‌Speaking to Paddy Power Games, James said: “The power of this speech lay in the way a man known for his showboating, rambling stream-of-consciousness delivery, and overt emotional displays chose instead to play it straight – sincere and restrained.”

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