Elon Musk condemned critics who suggested a gesture he made during President Donald Trump‘s inaugural festivities was a Nazi salute.
During a brief but exuberant speech celebrating Trump’s inauguration Monday, Musk earned swift backlash from some on the Left who suggested he was showing support for Adolf Hitler after he put his palm on his heart and pointed his arm at the crowd.
In Nazi Germany, the Nazi salute was usually accompanied by saying “Heil Hitler” as a way to pay homage to the dictator. It is still used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish organization that fights antisemitism.
Musk, a top Trump ally appointed to lead the president’s new Department of Government Efficiency, denied the accusations following his address at the Capital One Arena on Monday evening.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he said in a post on X. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
The ADL tried to bat down some of the outrage Monday, defending Musk and saying the organization didn’t view the motion as anything more than an “awkward gesture.”
“It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” the ADL said in a post to X.
Musk allies said accusations he made a Nazi salute constituted a smear campaign characterized by “misrepresentations” and “manipulation.”
Other defenders of the tech titan pointed to similar gestures made by prominent political figures such as former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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Musk made the gesture twice as he thanked roaring supporters at Capital One Arena for voting Trump into office.
“You know, there are elections that, the elections that come and go. Some elections are, you know, important. Some are not, but this one, this one, this one, really mattered,” he said. “And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you. It’s because of you that the future of civilization is assured,” he said.
