Elon Musk doing the Nazi salute

Elon Musk sparked widespread controversy during a rally celebrating Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration when he performed a gesture that many interpreted as a Nazi salute. At the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., Musk thanked the crowd, slapped his chest, and extended his right arm diagonally upward with his palm facing down, repeating the motion to the audience behind him while saying, “My heart goes out to you” . Critics, including historians and social media users, quickly drew parallels to the Nazi salute, a symbol associated with Adolf Hitler’s regime, while far-right groups celebrated the gesture as a signal of support . Musk dismissed the backlash on his platform X, calling the accusations a “tired” tactic and refusing to explicitly deny the intent behind the gesture . The Anti-Defamation League suggested it was an “awkward gesture” made in enthusiasm, but the incident fueled debates about Musk’s alignment with far-right ideologies and his history of controversial statements .