Tech billionaire Elon Musk has sparked controversy after appearing to do a fascist-style double lip during Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Speaking to a crowd at Capital One Arena in Washington DC, Musk, owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter), and a prominent Trump supporter and donor, addressed the audience, saying: “I just want to say thank you. you to make that happen.”
Musk placed his right hand on his chest before extending his arm up at a diagonal angle, fingers together and palm down. This gesture, similar to the Nazi salute, is repeated after a while at a slightly lower angle.
Elon Musk speaking before President Donald Trump: “Thankfully the future of civilization is assured. We will have safe cities – finally – secure borders, reasonable spending. The basics. And we will take DOGE to Mars! pic.twitter.com/jO7NRSzcAP
– America (@america) January 20, 2025
Social media erupted in response, with public health expert Eric Feigl-Ding tweeting: “My God…
Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz he described the act as a “Roman salute,” which included fascist symbols that were widely used in Nazi Germany, it reported The guard.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-Jewish group, defines the Nazi salute as “raising the right arm with the hand facing down.
Musk, speaking before Trump’s inauguration appearing at this event, he praised the crowd, saying: “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured … We will have safe cities, secure borders, and reasonable spending.”
Referring to the “Department of Government Efficiency,” the federal cost-cutting initiative for which Musk was appointed, he promised more progress. He even joked about sending astronauts to Mars, saying: “We’re going to take the ‘Doge’ to Mars.”
Musk pretended to plant a flag on another planet, shouting: “Bam! Bam!” The event drew further criticism as Musk’s collaboration with far-right figures came to light.
Last week, he caught up with Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right German party Alternative für Deutschland, for an interview about X. Weidel said that Hitler was “not a conservative” but a “communist, socialist guy,” a view Musk came up with. to support.
Musk has yet to comment on the backlash surrounding his gesture.
(with comments from The Guardian)
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