Elon Musk ignites online speculation over the meaning of a hand gesture
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk placed his hand to his heart before extending his arm out above his head with his palm facing down.
PHOTO: AFP
Ryan Mac
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WASHINGTON - Mr Elon Musk ignited speculation and chatter online when he made a hand gesture twice during a speech celebrating US President Donald Trump on Jan 20.
Speaking at a celebratory rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington hours after Mr Trump was sworn in as president, Mr Musk thanked the crowd for choosing Mr Trump during “a fork in the road of human civilisation”.
Mr Musk, who leads Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, and who backed Mr Trump in 2024 during his presidential campaign, added: “I just want to say thank you for making it happen – thank you.”
The billionaire then grunted and placed his hand to his heart before extending his arm out above his head with his palm facing down.
After he turned around, he repeated the motion to those behind him.
On CNN, commentators pointed out Mr Musk’s gesture.
Ms Erin Burnett, an anchor, noted how striking the action was.
The motion soon drew comparisons online to the salute popularised by Adolf Hitler, and others interpreted it as a Roman salute, which is also known as the “fascist salute” and was later adopted by the Nazis.
The Nazi variation of the gesture is illegal in some European countries, including Germany.
“Did elon musk just hit the roman salute at his inauguration speech?” Mr Hasan Piker, a popular streamer, asked on X.
Dr Claire Aubin, a historian who specialises in Nazism within the United States, agreed Mr Musk’s gesture was a “sieg heil,” or Nazi salute.
“My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,” Dr Aubin posted on X.
Dr Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian of fascism, also found the gesture “was a Nazi salute – and a very belligerent one too”.
Mr Musk later posted on X that his opponents needed “better dirty tricks”.
“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he said.
After making the gestures, Mr Musk continued his speech. He spoke with enthusiasm about “safe cities, secure borders, sensible spending” and the promise of bringing humanity to Mars.
“My heart goes out to you,” Mr Musk said, placing his hand over his heart. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured.”
Mr Kimbal Musk, Mr Musk’s younger brother, later posted on X that it was “the best speech” of Mr Musk’s life.
“Well done!” Mr Kimbal Musk wrote, sharing a video of the speech. “This is what success feels like.” NYTIMES
