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Elon Musk’s Inaugural Roman Salute Sparks Outrage, Far-Right Praise

Creede Newton, Megan Squire

Elon Musk doing a Nazi salute
Monday’s inaugural events took an unexpected turn when Elon Musk, the influential CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made an apparent Nazi salute, or “Roman salute,” during inaugural events for President Donald Trump. The move ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party infamously adopted the Roman salute, characterized by an extended arm and open hand, as a symbol of allegiance and power. Its use is deeply offensive to many, as it evokes memories of the atrocities committed during World War II and the Holocaust. The gesture is banned in several countries, including Germany, where it is considered a criminal offense.

The salute echoed a similar incident involving white nationalist Richard Spencer, who supported Trump’s first run in 2016. After Trump won that election, Spencer gave a speech in which he said, “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” and about a dozen audience members responded with Roman salutes. The German phrase “Sieg heil” that Nazis chanted with the salute translates to “hail victory.”

Spencer was the leader of the “alt-right” movement. With clean-cut looks and an academic veneer, Spencer and his cohort attempted to give white nationalists a respectable face. He would go on to help organize the deadly “Unite the Right” racist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The reaction to Musk’s gesture was swift. Watchdog organizations and influencers aired criticisms on legacy and social media alike.

Masha Pearl, executive director of The Blue Card, which supports Holocaust survivors, told The New York Times that Musk’s “Nazi salute” had “deeply troubled” her.

“It was an unmistakable symbol of hate, of violence, of genocide,” she told the paper.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, released a statement on the gesture saying, “Elon Musk knows precisely what he was doing with his fascist Roman salute at today’s Trump rally — which follows his explicit embrace of far-right parties and policies.”

Spitalnick went on to reference Musk’s support for the Alternative for Germany party, a far-right political organization that looks set to make major gains in upcoming German polls. Spitalnick said: “If you’re surprised, you haven’t been paying attention. We know precisely where this extremist behavior leads, normalizing and emboldening avowed neo-Nazis and white supremacists who take this as a stamp of approval for their targeting of Jews, immigrants, people of color, and so many others.”

Even right-wing influencer Steven Crowder, who came under fire for berating his pregnant wife after a video of the event surfaced in 2023, appeared shocked at the salute.

Crowder shared a video of the salute on X with the caption “Bro, what…”

But others on the far right were supportive.

Many extremist groups on Telegram — including those based in other countries — celebrated Musk’s gesture, clearly identifying it as a Roman salute and elaborating on its significance. The Telegram channel for the Swedish white nationalist fight club Gym XIV called the salute “a powerful symbol” that “shows clearly that we are now entering a different path in the west.”

Users posting in the Elon Musk thread on Kiwifarms, a web forum whose users harass and bully online personalities, also recognized the gesture as a Roman salute. There, some users changed their profile pictures to animated versions of the salute and referred to the gesture as “literally sieg heiling.”

Christopher Pohlhaus, leader of the neo-Nazi Blood Tribe who uses the alias “Hammer” online, wrote on Telegram, “I don’t care if this was a mistake I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.”

Jon Minadeo II, leader of the neo-Nazi group Goyim Defense League, tweeted that the salute represented an example of “white power” and an example of how “white people are going to awaken” in 2025.

Musk has not issued a formal statement addressing the controversy, but did take to his X platform to state: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” as well as linking to a previous post claiming Democrats were engaged in a campaign against him.

Some Jewish organizations have defended him, suggesting that the gesture was not intended to convey any political or ideological message.

Hatewatch reached out to Musk via X’s press contact but did not immediately receive a response.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. Watchdog groups criticized the apparent “Roman salute,” while one extremist group hailed it as a “powerful symbol.” (Credit: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Richard Spencer performed the Roman salute during his 2016 “Hail Trump” speech. He did not perform the salute at this event, but some members of the audience did.