Amid the wave of discussions and criticisms over US President Donald Trump's list of executive orders, what further sparked a row on Monday was a video showing tech billionaire Elon Musk’s ‘one arm extended with open palm’ gesture at a Donald Trump rally as many found it sharing similarity with the infamous "Sieg Heil" or "Nazi Salute".
🍨At Donald Trump's rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, Musk appeared on stage, and upon thanking the crowd for making 78-year-old Trump's return to the White House possible for the second time, Musk was seen tapping the left side of his chest with his right hand and then extending his arm with his palm open, repeating the gesture for the crowd seated behind him.
🌜What further associated Musk's debatable gesture with 'Nazi Salute' was his several statements in recent weeks in support of Germany’s far-right AfD party.
What did Musk say?
ღReiterating the significance of Trump's victory in the 2024 US Presidential Elections, Musk said, "This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization."
✅"This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you," he said while thumping his right hand over his heart and extending the arm out at an upward angle with his palm down.
ꩵ“This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says ‘my heart goes out to you", he further added. Back in 2021, Musk announced he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.
ജDismissing the criticism over 'Nazi Salute', Musk posted on social media platform X, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The “everyone is Hitler” attack is sooo tired."
'Nazi Salute' or not?: The historians' take
As per a report by NDTV, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian with a specialisation in fascism, found the gesture to be Nazi Salute. Moreover, Claire Aubin, another historian with expertise in Nazism within the US, also expressed similar opinion and said Musk's gesture was a "sieg heil" or Nazi salute.
However, a News18ꦏ report quoted another historian, Aaron Astor, who refuted 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."
💧According to reports published in Wired and Rolling Stone magazines, besides historians, far-right personalities in the United States were seen celebrating the move.
🔜The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the most prominent organisations dedicated to opposing anti-Semitism defended Musk's actions saying, “It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute."
🐽Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted the ADL’s reaction, saying on X, “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity."
