Tech billionaire Elon Musk caused controversy at the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday with a gesture that appeared similar to a Nazi salute.
Musk, one of Trump’s closest advisers, was among the speakers on stage before Trump’s arrival at the Capital One Arena in Washington.
Musk thanked supporters, then placed his right hand on his heart and quickly extended it upwards.
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“My heart goes out to you,” Musk said, before repeating the gesture.
Users on Musk’s online platform X noted that the gesture resembled a Nazi salute.
U.S. broadcaster CNN replayed the footage multiple times during its programme, with a presenter stating viewers were smart enough to form their own opinion on the matter.
Initially, Musk did not provide an explanation for the action.
However, he shared footage of his remarks, and the gesture, via X.
Musk dismissed criticism of the hand gesture as a “tired” attack.
The X, SpaceX and Tesla chief appeared on stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, where supporters of the newly inaugurated president had gathered for a rally.
Upon thanking the crowd for returning the 78-year-old Republican to the White House, Musk tapped the left side of his chest with his right hand and then extended his arm with his palm open, repeating the gesture for the crowd seated behind him.
Claire Aubin, a historian who specialises in Nazism within the United States, agreed Musk’s gesture was a “sieg heil”, or Nazi salute.
A historian, Aaron Astor, however rebuffed accusations of Musk’s Nazi emulation.
“I have criticised Elon Musk many times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform,” he wrote on X, adding: “But this gesture is not a Nazi salute”.
“This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says ‘my heart goes out to you’.”
In 2021, Musk announced he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.
Ahead of Trump’s swearing-in, Musk enthused about the “Return of the King,” sharing a screenshot of Trump’s once-banned Twitter account alongside the official presidential profile.
Twitter banned Trump in the wake of the January 6, 2021 riots, before Musk reinstated the account when he purchased the social media platform in 2022.
