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Elon Musk's 'everyone is Hitler' reply to 'Nazi salute' row: 'Need better...'
Donald Trump inauguration: Elon Musk arrived on stage at the Capital One Arena where Trump's supporters had gathered for a rally.
Elon Musk has hit out at his critics after a controversy erupted over a gesture he made at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, with some comparing it to a Nazi salute.
According to an AFP report, Musk arrived on stage at the Capital One Arena where Trump's supporters had gathered for a rally. After thanking the crowd for voting Trump to power for the second time, 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.
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Historian claims Musk gesture a ‘Nazi salute’
Claire Aubin, a historian who specializes in Nazism within the United States, said Musk's gesture was a "sieg heil," or Nazi salute.
"My professional opinion is that you're all right, you should believe your eyes," Aubin posted on X, aligning with those who found the gesture was an overt reference to Nazis.
But Musk later posted on X, saying that his opponents needed “better dirty tricks.” "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired," he said.
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Musk has also made several statements in recent weeks in support of Germany's far-right AfD party and British anti-immigration party Reform UK.
But the Anti-Defamation League, an organisation founded to combat anti-Semitism which has criticized Musk in the past, defended his actions this time around.
"It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute," the organisation said in a statement posted on X.
Another historian, Aaron Astor, also rebuffed accusations of Musk's Nazi emulation.
"I have criticized 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.'"
Musk announced in 2021 he had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
One attendee at the rally told AFP he thought Musk was making the gesture as a joke.
"He's very humorous, and he uses a lot of sarcasm. So when he did that on the stage, I don't think he meant it," said Brandon Galambos, a 29-year-old pastor and tech worker.
(With AFP inputs)
