Elon Musk's hand gestures at an inauguration event for U.S. President Donald Trump, which quickly drew comparisons to Nazi salutes, appear to have resonated in some far-right extremist spaces online.
Several neo-Nazi leaders have shared clips of the viral moment from Musk's Monday speech, in which the billionaire brought his hand to his chest and extended it straight out, twice, before saying: "My heart goes out to you."
"Donald Trump White Power moment," the head of a neo-Nazi group in Australia wrote on Telegram, in one of several posts AFP reviewed.
Many people, including several historians, have likened the movement to the "sieg heil" used by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler -- criticism that Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, has dismissed as "dirty tricks" and "propaganda."
“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” Musk posted on X several hours after he left the stage.
On the neo-Nazi forum Stormfront, a user posted an image of Musk striking the pose under text reading, "Heil Hitler."
A chapter of the far-right Proud Boys militia group, whose members were among those Trump pardoned Monday for storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, also shared video of the moment on Telegram.
The group offered a slightly different message: "Hail Trump!"
"There is no question among white supremacists that Musk was making a Nazi salute," Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told AFP.
Beirich said far-right figures were "more than thrilled" and that "generally, they believe Musk's raised arm is an endorsement of their beliefs."
The University of Virginia's T Kenny Fountain, who studies rhetoric and extremism, said that Musk's "intention is important, but so is reception."
"If an eager audience interprets this gesture as a meaningful acknowledgment, we are in dangerous territory," Fountain wrote on Bluesky. "Unsurprisingly, it seems many on the far-right are reading it that way."
Andrew Torba, founder of the social media platform Gab, posted a photo of Musk and wrote, "Incredible things are happening already."
Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, shared a side-by-side video edit to Telegram that lined Musk's movements up with footage of the group's masked members making Nazi salutes while carrying swastika flags.
Followers reacted with lightning bolt emojis, a reference to the Nazi regime's SS paramilitaries.
On Musk's social media platform X, an anonymous account that has Hitler speeches pinned on its page shared another mashup video comparing Musk's gesture to clips of Hitler.
"Sieg Heil?? Are we so back?" the post says. It received more than 2 million views.
© 2025 AFP
31 Comments
Underworld
Musk knew what he was doing. What a vile human being.
plasticmonkey
The Proud Boys, freshly pardoned, offer a "Roman" greeting to their new emperor.
Anyway, Musk may be autistic, but he's definitely into a little fascist cosplaying.
lincolnman
Just look at the picture - it could have been taken in Germany in 1939....
This guy is a mental basket case - so polluted with wealth that he thinks he's some kind of messiah...
And MAGA-world provides his jack-booted thugs...
Bobby Franks
“If giving the Nazi ‘Sieg Heil’ salute was an Olympic event like gymnastics, Elon Musk would’ve received a perfect score of 10. Musk even nailed the facial expression. Seriously, Hitler would be jealous.” — Musician and environmental activist Bill Madden
Nifty
That certainly isn't a normal facial expression, but it may indicate gastric distress of some kind. I hope he feels better soon.
lincolnman
The only time you'll catch me agreeing with MAGA-hobo Steven Bannon...
Musk is "evil".....
theFu
Musk is a man-child. This is just another example of a thoughtless human.
Some dude
Love to see him do that gesture in one of a number of European countries which would arrest him for it.
"Oh, no, I was just demonstrating that my heart goes out to you" works on MAGAts and white supremacists (OK, there's 99% overlap there anyway), but in countries which actually have a history and have tried to learn from it, he might not have as much luck.
wallace
Musk is narcissistic megalomaniac.
WoodyLee
Anyone can create such an image from a normal hand gesture or hand wave and call it what ever he or she wishes, snap shots can be manipulated anyway you wish and produce any image you wish.
I am sure who ever produced this image has an agenda.
Underworld
WoodyLee
Exactly. That’s why you should watch the video.
Bob Fosse
Sigh. Watch the video.
Don’t attempt to claim the video is doctored either.
Burgerland
Musk knew what he was doing.
"My heart goes out to you" expressed clumsily is what he was doing. Anti MAGA camp is blowing it out of proportion, that is to be expected.
Bob Fosse
If you read the article handily provided above your comment you will see that the extremist right wing movement are ‘blowing it out of proportion’.
WoodyLee
Mr. Musk grandfather Dr. J.N. Haldeman who was born in the U.S. but moved to S. Africa.
"" In South Africa he was a supporter of apartheid and promoted a number of conspiracy theories. A pilot since 1948, he was killed in a plane crash in 1974. Haldeman is the maternal grandfather of businessman Elon Musk. ""
Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_N._Haldeman
Geeter Mckluskie
"My heart goes out to you" as Musk motioned from his heart to the audience
WoodyLee
Underworld,
"" Exactly. That’s why you should watch the video. ""
I have not yet, but I will.
I am not defending anyone here all I'm saying is anyone can freeze an image and make it look like anything he wishes.
Mr. Musk has openly supported many controversial groups and issues in the past and still does but to my knowledge not the Nazi's !!??
stormcrow
The good Nazi?!
Pretty creepy.
TokyoLiving
What a pathetic clown..
One of the newest Trump's pet..
JJE
Anti Defamation League defended the great Elon Musk.
Clearly a media beat-up and a nasty smear.
virusrex
The ADL has been previously criticized for their actions, it would be nothing new that it takes a position against what it says it defends.
Scholars and experts on the other hand have made clear and explicit calls about the nazi salute.
https://x.com/waitmanb/status/1881446968679088467
https://x.com/ruthbenghiat/status/1881460628164120641
Do you think university professors depend on media to make professional judgments about things?
Burgerland
Exactly. That’s why you should watch the video.
I watched it. Not a Nazi salute.
Burgerland
Agree. Both anti MAGA Dems hystericals and some of the extreme right wing groups are blowing the Musk gesture out of proportion..
bass4funk
I’m just surprised that the media is making such a big thing out of this, and when liberals were doing it, not a single word, and this is the reason why, and I’ll say it once again why people do not take the left seriously, they want to keep the focus on someone they hate, but when it’s their own, and that person does the exact same thing, they are completely silent on the issue.
ClippetyClop
Might have been a Nazi salute. Might not have been.
Hard to tell with Musk he’s an uncoordinated twitchy critter at the best of times and even weirder when he is on stage.
I’m fairly sure that a Nazi salute isn’t a form of waving at people though.
JJE
Why doesn't the media highlight other politicians who give the same gesture?
ClippetyClop
Musk isn’t a politician.
And they do. Maybe you should have another denazification SMO in America?
Great Bird
Because they weren't doing Nazi salutes.
JJE
Ok.
Why doesn't the media highlight other figures in the political discourse who perform the same gesture?
ClippetyClop
Such as who?
Do you think the Trump government should be denazified? Should only take a few days.
wallace
JJE
They have and in some European countries have been jailed for it.