Elon Musk has been accused of performing “the Hitler salute” when he took to the stage at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The tech mogul was seen making a gesture that strikingly resembled the Nazi salute when he hit the podium at the Capitol One arena and raised his hand flat into the air.
Despite the uproar on Musk’s own platform, X, it appeared that the moment was one of excitement and festivity, rather than an intentional reference to Adolf Hitler.
The “Hitler Salute”, or “Sieg Heil”, is a German phrase meaning “Hail Victory” in English, notoriously associated with the Nazi Party during Hitler’s rule from 1933 to 1945.
This phrase was typically accompanied by the “Nazi salute,” characterized by a straight-armed extension with the palm down, reports the Irish Star.
Social media reactions were mixed, with one user commenting: “Elon Musk casually doing a Hitler salute in front of millions. alright.”
While another expressed disgust: “Musk doing an in your face hitler salute at Capital One Arena is disgusting. The crowd cheering for it is disgraceful. Elon Musk is a cretin.”
A different X user questioned: “Did Elon Musk just do a Hitler salute on TV, Capitol One Arena?”
And yet another simply stated: “Elon musk just did the Hitler salute!”
However, some came to Musk’s defense, with one individual saying: “You guys are despicable. This gesture from Elon Musk has nothing whatsoever to do with Hitler.”
Another criticized the media portrayal: “CNN is the worst. Making it look like Elon Musk gave Hitler’s salute,”.
