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Fans defend Elon Musk, say ‘he is not using the Nazi salute’ amid brewing controversy
Elon Musk’s gesture at Trump’s inauguration sparked controversy. Many accused him of performing “Sieg Heil” - a victory salute associated with the Nazi party.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America. During the event, Elon Musk was among the few who took the stage at Capitol One Arena to thank Republican supporters. During his speech, however, a gesture by the tech billionaire prompted instant controversy on social media. Many accused him of doing “Sieg Heil” while on stage.
What did Elon Musk do?
He put his hand on his chest and then raised it to his face level during his speech. This prompted many social media users to compare the gesture to that of the victory salute, Sieg Heil, that the Nazi party adopted under Adolf Hitler’s leadership. Several people accused him of performing a “Nazi salute”.
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What did his fans say?
There were, however, several who quickly came to the tech mogul’s support, saying that he was not using a “Nazi salute” and people had misinterpreted it.
An individual wrote, “Elon Musk is saying ‘my heart goes out to you.’ He is not using the Nazi salute.” Another added, “I can confidently say that every single person currently claiming that Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute is stupid and should not be taken seriously ever again.”
This incident has prompted people to search about Elon Musk on Google, including who is he and about the “Nazi salute”.
A third expressed, “This is just ridiculous. Elon Musk says his heart goes out to the patriots in Capital One Arena, so he pounds his chest and waves at the crowd.” A fourth commented, “The Nazi salute does not involve placing a palm on the heart. You could conclude that Elon tried to do the Nazi salute and failed to do it properly. Or he was excited, awkward, not thinking about how he looks, and trying to show his heart going out to the crowd, as he says in the full clip.”
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During the ceremony, different moments of the SpaceX founder were captured on camera. One was when he excitedly threw his hands up after hearing Donald Trump’s plan to “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.” Another moment was when he brought his son to the stage. “Sorry, little X just followed me on the stage here. He’s a very enthusiastic supporter, as you can see,” he said.
