Musk delivers twin salutes at Trump celebration
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has appeared to deliver back-to-back Nazi salutes while speaking at new US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“Some elections are important, some are not. But this one, this one really mattered and I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Musk, the owner of SpaceX, X and Tesla, told cheering Trump supporters at the packed Capital One Arena in Washington DC early on Tuesday (Australian time).
He then slapped his right hand into his chest, fingers outstretched, before shooting out his right arm on an upwards diagonal, fingers together and palm facing down.
Musk – the richest person on earth and a major Trump donor and adviser – then turned around and repeated the gesture to the crowd behind him.
Social media then went wild with speculation, with MAGA supporters saying it was his way of emphasising what he was saying.
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“My heart goes out to you,” he said before making the gesture, and then turning and doing it again behind him.
Leading anti-hate organization ADL was quick to try and calm waters at a tense time in US and global politics, posting on X that this is a “delicate moment”.
After the gesture Mush went on to spruik his Mars mission.
“It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured. Thanks to you. We’re gonna have safe cities, finally safe cities. Secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff. And we’re gonna take DOGE to Mars.”
DOGE is the new President’s “Department of Government Efficiency”, which will be led by Musk.
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Fellow tech entrepreneur, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was to share the leadership before – in perhaps the organisation’s first efficiency directive – announcing this week that he instead plans to run for governor of Ohio next year.
The unofficial department has also attracted controversy – and legal challenges. Almost immediately after Trump was sworn in, multiple lawsuits were filed against the new administration claiming that DOGE violates federal transparency laws.
Trump also spoke in his inaugural address in the Rotunda of the US Capitol about sending humans to Mars.
“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” he said, although he announced no timetable.
Through SpaceX, Musk has long had the goal of taking people to Mars. Musk, who was at Trump’s inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol, was seen smiling broadly after the announcement.
Israeli publication Haaretz said Musk “appeared to conclude his remarks [at the arena] with … a fascist gesture most commonly associated with Nazi Germany, where it was performed alongside the phrase ‘Heil Hitler’.”
Social media erupted after vision emerged from the arena.
“Elon Musk hits the ‘Sieg Heil’ at the inauguration. Very neat stuff on day one,” wrote one user on the billionaire’s X platform.
“My god … Musk just did the Nazi Salute live on TV,” wrote another.
“It was not an accident or a mistake, he did it twice. Way to go America,” said a third.
Musk did not immediately comment. On X, however, he retweeted footage of his remarks that included the second salute.
Nazi salutes are banned across Australia after federal legislation a year ago, following earlier prohibitions in some states.
