In the year 1933, on January 30th, Adolf Hitler slapped his right hand over his heart and swung it straight ahead with his palm facing down, signaling the Nazi salute to a cheering crowd of Germans. Almost 100 years later, this same act was committed by Elon Musk, who was less than one minute into his speech at Washington’s Capital when he thanked the crowd for electing President Trump and gave the Nazi salute twice to a cheering crowd of Americans, at Trump’s Inauguration on January 20, 2025.

Historically, the Nazi salute has supported white supremacy, fascism, racial hierarchy, violence, murder, and dehumanization of the Jewish people. In Nazi Germany, Hitler even referred to the Jewish people as a biological threat, an “alien,” and a “parasite” put into their society. In turn, horrid acts against the Jewish people became normalized and led to a Holocaust. A Holocaust is a destruction or slaughter on a large scale. This illustrates how Nazism shaped German society by promoting a broad form of fascism, enforcing racial hierarchies, and advocating for the elimination of certain groups. As a result, performing the Nazi salute is now not only banned in Germany but also in Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, France, and many more countries.

Three days after Elon Musk was accused of giving a Nazi salute at Trump’s Inauguration, Musk posted a series of Nazi-themed puns to his followers on X (Twitter). One pun even stated, “Bet you did Nazi that coming.” This series of posts caused many to speak out against his tactic of trying to normalize his actions and brush them off by using humor, especially when this topic is considered to be offensive to many. 

Since Trump’s Inauguration, many interpretations of Musk’s actions have surfaced on the Internet. Some people described it as a “Roman salute.” Others described it as a “heartfelt” expression of joy or dismissed it as a silly act of clumsiness.

The Anti-Defamation League, who opposes Antisemitism and explains the Nazi salute as “raising an outstretched right arm, with the palm faced down,” ranks the Nazi salute as “the most common white supremacist salute in the world.” However, after the Inauguration, the Anti-Defamation League released a statement, calling Musk’s actions “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.” They added that “all sides should give one another a bit of grace.” This led to even more speculation.

Unlike the Anti-Defamation League, Germany’s response had its own opinions. When many Germans saw what Elon Musk had done, some stated that “the gesture speaks for itself.” Michel Friedman, a German-French publicist and former deputy chair of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, described Elon Musk’s actions as a disgrace and said that Musk has shown that a “dangerous point for the entire free world” has been reached. 

Musk’s actions also caught the attention of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. The Lemkin Institute has no confusion about the possible threats of  Trump’s presidency due to the rights of refugees, members of the LGBTQ community, and minorities being at risk. The Lemkin Institute was left speechless after “billionaire Elon Musk gave the Nazi salute twice during his speech at the inauguration of President Donald Trump in the United States of America.” As a result, the Lemkin Institute issued a Red Flag Alert for Genocide for the United States. The Lemkin Institute also reminded Americans that their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers died fighting the Nazi regime during World War II so that the US could become a “beacon of liberty” and hope to all. There are many memories of those whose lives were lost fighting fascism and are honored by memorials in our cities and towns. Their names sit on street signs, and their faces are proudly remembered in their portraits. They were heroes for their anti-fascist beliefs. In fact, many victims of Nazi terror and genocide founded a safe haven in the United States after 1933.

The Lemkin Institute also stated that “The Nazi salute is not at all a ‘natural’ gesture of the arm” and that “it is nearly impossible that this was an unfortunate mistake.” How could someone who is so often in the public eye risk giving a salute, twice, that’s a complete replica of the Nazi salute? Then, they went on to say that Elon Musk performing the Nazi salute twice during his speech was likely intentional, although they would be more than happy to be proven wrong.

The Lemkin Institute hopes that the people of America don’t forget these facts of the past because they believe that the worst mistake people can make at this time is to think that Elon Musk is dense in the face of this Nazi salute. All leaders and people in positions of great power should be taken at their word when they signal alliances with hate groups. While Elon Musk is making Nazi-themed puns and pushing America to its limits, trans people, refugees, and other minorities are likely more at-risk due to Musk’s actions.

Only the people and Trump’s decisions can tell us what will happen in the next four years. 

Works Cited:

• https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-alert-for-genocide—united-states%3A-the-rise-of-the-nazi-salute
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/21/the-gesture-speaks-for-itself-germans-divided-over-musks-apparent-nazi-salute