How the right is justifying—and even celebrating—Musk’s Nazi salute

Feeling emboldened by Donald Trump officially being sworn in as president, the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, gave a nod to Germany’s Nazi Party—you know, the one that killed six million Jewish people and started World War II. 

“Thank you for making it happen,” Musk said to the raucous MAGA crowd during an inaugural event speech, which he wrapped up by doing the “Sieg Heil,” or Nazi salute—twice, just to clear up the possibility that it might have been an unintentional slip-up. 

Obviously, people have been expressing their reactions of shock and disgust on social media from around the world—except, of course, by far-right Trump supporters and white nationalists, who justified and praised the salute. 

“I studied the Nazis at university, taught the history of Nazi Germany on two continents and wrote for major newspapers about Nazi Germany,” Mike Stuchbery wrote on X. “I am internet famous for fact-checking chuds on the history, ideology and policy of Nazi Germany. That was a Nazi salute.” 

“For every dingbat posting Kamala or [Hillary] waving... they're not doing the wind-up, hand to heart which is the hallmark of the Nazi/fascist salute,” Stuchbery said in another post.

Democrats in Europe were equally aghast, with Spanish Minister of Labor and Social Economy Yolanda Díaz deciding to leave X after “the entire world witnessed Elon Musk mimicking a Nazi salute during Donald Trump’s inauguration.” 

Similarly, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the World Economic Forum Tuesday that Musk has the right to free speech, but “what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions.”

Musk responded on his platform X on Monday in an attempt to downplay his Nazi gesture. 

“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, corporate media coverage of Trump has been overwhelmingly positive, with POLITICO co-founder John F. Harris writing that Trump is a “great president.” The Washington Post labeled Musk’s Nazi salute as merely “exuberant speech,” and The New York Times explained it away with the headline, “Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture.” 

So we’re watering down Nazi salutes as “hand gestures” now?

To add insult to injury, the Anti-Defamation League, a pro-Israel and Jewish advocacy organization, defended Musk, saying that he “made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.” 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quickly responded to the ADL’s statement. 

“Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity. People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all,” she wrote.

During her hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York denied that Musk did a Nazi salute when asked about it by Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut.

Meanwhile, white nationalist and far-right commentators like self-identified “Christian” Evan Kilgore praised Musk’s salute. 

“Holy crap… Did [Musk]  just Heil Hitler at the Trump Inauguration Rally in Washington D.C… This is incredible,” he wrote. 

But after criticism came roaring in, Kilgore backtracked by insulting everyone with autism who doesn’t salute Nazis.

“Elon Musk is autistic. He was excited. We all know his intentions weren't to make a Sieg Heil,” he wrote. “It looked much more like a Roman Salute. Can we all have a sense of humor for 5 seconds?”

Andrew Torba, founder and CEO of the extremist and conspiratorial platform Gab, shared the photo of Musk doing the Nazi salute with the caption, “Incredible things are happening.”

“Incredible” is certainly one way to put it. 

This moment—and the four years to come—will serve as a significant flashpoint in the slow, steady battle over the normalization of fascism and oligarchy in U.S. politics and culture. Welcome to Trump 2.0.