**WASHINGTON, Jan 20 ** - During a celebration for President Donald Trump's inauguration, billionaire Elon Musk's hand gesture while speaking drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute. However, a prominent antisemitism tracker suggested it appeared to be a moment of enthusiasm instead. Musk shrugged off the criticism, calling it a "tired" attack. He took the stage at Capital One Arena in Washington to roaring cheers, pumping his arms and exclaiming, "Yesssss."
"This was no ordinary victory; it was a pivotal moment in the course of human civilization," he declared. "This one truly mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you." Biting his bottom lip, he thumped his right hand over his heart with fingers spread wide, then extended his right arm upward, palm down and fingers together. He then turned to the crowd behind him, repeating the same hand gesture.
"My heart goes out to you. It is because of you that the future of civilization is secure," he said as he completed the gesture. The gestures were soon met with intense scrutiny online. "Did Elon Musk just give a Sieg Heil at Trump's inauguration?"
The Anti-Defamation League, which monitors antisemitism, had a different perspective. "It appears that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture out of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute. However, we understand that tensions are high," they posted on Monday.
In Germany, Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, called the gesture "highly irritating." She added, "Far more concerning are Elon Musk's political stances, his disruptive interference in the German parliamentary election campaign, and his support for a party with anti-democratic goals, which should not be underestimated." Musk has backed the far-right Alternative for Germany , an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party classified as right-wing extremist by German security agencies, and he recently hosted a broadcast with the party's leader on his social media platform.
Musk responded on X, stating, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is so tired," in reference to the criticism. Shortly after his speech, he shared a Fox News video clip that highlighted his speech but cut away when he made the gesture in front of the cameras, captioning it, "The future is so exciting."
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