On January 20, 2025, during a speech at a post-inauguration rally, Elon Musk placed his right hand flat on his chest before extruding his arm forwards and upwards in a way that resembled a fascist, Nazi, or Roman salute, before turning around and performing the same gesture again. Videos and photos of the moment during Musk's speech proliferated online, with people on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, Gab, Instagram, and more debating whether Musk intentionally performed a fascist salute or if the moment was simply an "awkward gesture." Neo-Nazis and white supremacists broadly celebrated the move.
Several Jewish organizations and individuals, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and individual rabbis, came to Musk's defense, stating that they did not believe that the gesture was a Nazi salute.
The following report will provide an overview of reactions to Musk's gesture from neo-Nazis and white supremacists from countries including the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, France, Russia, and others.
YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@MEMRI.ORG WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST.
Neo-Nazis Celebrate Alleged Fascist Salute By Musk
A Canadian neo-Nazi posted a video on January 20 of Musk performing the salute. In the video, Musk is superimposed over a video of a rally in Nazi Germany as well as a glowing swastika. The neo-Nazi captioned the post, "Elon is fired right up for Trumps fourth Reich."
On Gab, a neo-Nazi user shared a video on January 20 in a neo-Nazi group which shows X CEO Elon Musk purportedly giving a fascist salute during his speech. The user added: "卐 ELON MUSK mimics NATIONAL-SOCIALIST ROMAN SALUTE during TRUMP'S inauguration... Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer! Sieg Heil!!! #donaldtrump #trump #elonmusk Guys and Gals are we so back???"
The full text of this post is available to DTTM subscribers.
If you are a subscriber, log in here to read this report.
For information on the required credentials to access this material, visit the DTTM subscription page