At Donald Trump’s post-inauguration rally on Monday, presidential adviser, DOGE head and world’s richest man Elon Musk doubled down on what many see as “mercy,” the infamous Nazi salute.
The CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX thanked the gathered crowd saying, “I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” before biting his lip, striking his chest with his right hand and sending his right arm up, palm up. Musk turned around and gestured again, adding, “My heart goes out to you. We are grateful that the future of civilization is assured.”
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As Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) pointed out during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing for Trump’s next UN ambassador, it wasn’t just left-wing activists and anti-Musk figures who saw the move as a murderous German leader: “Evan. Kilgore, a right-wing political commentator, wrote in X, Holy crap, did Elon Musk just congratulate Hitler at Trump’s inauguration? This is surprising. We’re back big’…the Proud Boys chapter in Ohio posted a clip on the Telegram channel with the caption, ‘Heil Trump.’ A chapter of the White Lives Matter group tweeted, ‘Thanks for the help, Elon. The white flame will rise again.”
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For his part, Musk – who has recently expressed support for far-right political parties in the UK and Germany – wrote in X that “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is very tired.” He followed that up by reposting far-right photos of Democrats like Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton making out-of-context gestures with their hands that could be described as similar to his own.
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Andrea Stroppa, a right-wing Italian friend and supporter of Musk, took the discussion in a different direction on Monday when he wrote in X that Musk’s salute has Italian origins: “The Roman Empire has returned from the Roman salute.”
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Some of Musk’s fans and supporters at X have jumped on the Roman bandwagon, saying it stirs as much hatred as there wasn’t much Hitler and Nero.
The origin of the Roman salute
The problem is that Musk was simply showing appreciation for chariots and fighters and there is no evidence that the gesture was used in ancient Rome, according to historian Martin M. Winkler, who wrote a book about the salute. No Roman art, writing, or coins show touch, according to Winkler. “The gesture of the raised right hand or hand in Roman and other ancient cultures attested in extant art and literature had a very different function and never resembled the modern straight arm salute,” Winkler wrote in his book. Roman salutation.
Instead, hand gestures like those used by Musk became popular in 19th century literature, toga plays and, later, early 20th century films such as the ancient Roman fantasy film, Caretaker reports. Through those media representations, the so-called Roman salute became a favorite of 20th century Hitler/Italian fascist Benito Mussolini and his political party. “… the salute as a unifier – and as a way to punish those who disagree by raising their arms quickly – existed before Hitler came to power,” according to the report. Forward.
When they gained power in the late 1920s, Hitler and his friends took the Italian action themselves, according to the BBC, and it symbolized loyalty to the leader and his racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic principles. When World War II began in 1939 after the German invasion of Poland, Hitler’s gestures and proclamations had entered everyday life. “In public, ordinary Germans were expected to praise Hitler and give the so-called German salute (“Heil Hitler!”),” according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, run by the US Holocaust Museum.
The Roman salute is conditionally allowed in Italy and completely banned in Germany. German chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to Musk’s actions by saying, “We have freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany,” he said, “which we do not accept that this supports the most appropriate positions.”