Fact Check: Did Elon Musk Do a Nazi Salute at the Trump Inauguration Rally?
President Donald Trump’s administration is less than a day old, and already the media has seized upon its first dog-whistling controversy. But is it real?
This time, it doesn’t involve Trump himself, but Trump supporter — and Tesla/SpaceX CEO, X owner, and Department of Government Efficiency leader — Elon Musk giving his speech at Trump’s post-inauguration rally at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Musk made a gesture during the address that, as per the media, resembled a Nazi salute.
Was it, though? Here are the facts.
CNN was among the first to call it out: “It’s a salute. It was quick,” one CNN anchor said during the network’s coverage of the speech.
“I think our viewers are smart and they can take a look at that, but it certainly was, it’s not something that you typically see at American political rallies.”
NEW: CNN suggests Elon Musk made a Nazi salute during Trump’s event at Capitol One arena, purposely leaves out Musk’s comments when he said his heart goes out to the crowd.
CNN: “It’s a salute. It was quick. I think our viewers are smart and they can take a look at that, but it… pic.twitter.com/LDoWQODod4
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 20, 2025
Other networks and the Very Online left took this up, too.
Billionaire Elon Musk gave what appeared to be a fascist salute Monday while making a speech at the post-inauguration celebration for President Donald Trump at the Capital One Arena.
“Some elections are important, some are not. But this one, this one really mattered and I just… pic.twitter.com/K8Fo0sdozL
— PBS News (@NewsHour) January 20, 2025
Historian of fascism here. That was a Nazi salute – and a very belligerent one too https://t.co/PB9sFCVJGA
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) January 20, 2025
What’s the context of this before it gets out of control? pic.twitter.com/BGN8SuakSa
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 20, 2025
The context is, if you were watching the speech, that Musk had said “my heart goes out to you” as he made the gesture.
This is just ridiculous.
Elon Musk says his heart goes out to the patriots in Capital One Arena, so he pounds his chest and waves at the crowd.
CNN: Musk just gave a Nazi salute!!
These people are so thirsty for controversy and racism—that doesn’t exist—it’s astounding. https://t.co/iR6T6fdsDm
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 20, 2025
🇺🇸An emotional @elonmusk thanks Trump supporters;
“Thank you for making it happen. My heart goes out to you.”
“It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.” pic.twitter.com/UJ502w4oDZ
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) January 20, 2025
And, indeed, others pointed out that if you wanted to take out-of-context salutes — or even in-context, sadly — as Nazi signaling, you could find plenty of examples on the left:
I’m Jewish. That was not a Nazi salute by Elon and anyone claiming otherwise while ignoring all of these is a clown 🤡 pic.twitter.com/9NWQJd0wLl
— Jaimee Michell (@thegaywhostrayd) January 21, 2025
Elon Musk stupidly raised his hand, he did not do a Nazi salute.
On the other hand, I don’t remember Democrats freaking out like this while pro-Palestinian mobs were actually saluting Hitler. pic.twitter.com/7pVHBaClgj
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 20, 2025
And, as it’s worth noting, covert Nazis generally don’t visit Auschwitz on a tour of the ghastly Nazi concentration camp with friend and Orthodox Jew Ben Shapiro:
Elon Musk just last year traveled with Ben Shapiro to Auschwitz and then Israel to learn about the Holocaust and Jewish history.
Anyone trying to portray him as a Nazi is intentionally misleading the public. It was a stupid hand gesture, not an intentional Nazi salute. pic.twitter.com/rUOZ0HWHNR
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 20, 2025
One does not become enamored with Nazi Germany overnight or play a long game where one’s fondness for the ideology of Adolf Hitler is only revealed when one’s close ally becomes president. These things would be present long beforehand — and there simply isn’t that trail with Musk’s life.
That, coupled with the context in which he spoke the words, indicates to us that CNN’s intimation that this salute had the whiff of Nazism about it simply doesn’t hold water, especially given the words Musk had spoken and his personal political history up to this moment.
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