Elon Musk accused of giving 'Nazi-style' salute at Trump inauguration celebration

Billionaire Elon Musk has been accused of giving a “Nazi-style” salute arsenic helium delivered a code during celebrations for Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The world’s richest antheral made a unusual manus motion and drew online comparisons to the fascist salute connected Monday, though helium rapidly dismissed criticism.

"Frankly, they request amended soiled tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' onslaught is sooo tired," Musk said connected his societal media level X precocious connected Monday.

The motion instantly amazed broadcasters commentating connected the event.

Standing ovation for Elon Musk. By acold the biggest reception of the day,” CNN anchor Erin Burnett explained. “You saw him travel retired with that odd-looking salute.”

Meanwhile, her chap anchor Kasie Hunt added that the motion “was evocative of things that we person seen done history” and “not thing you typically spot astatine American rallies”.

"This was nary mean victory. This was a fork successful the roadworthy of quality civilization," helium said. "This 1 truly mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you," helium said.

Biting his bottommost lip, helium thumped his close manus implicit his heart, fingers dispersed wide, past extended his close limb out, emphatically, astatine an upward angle, thenar down and fingers together. Then helium turned and made the aforesaid manus motion to the assemblage down him.

"My bosom goes retired to you. It is acknowledgment to you that the aboriginal of civilization is assured," helium said arsenic helium finished the gesture.

The gestures were rapidly scrutinised online and swept crossed X, the societal media level owned by the billionaire.

"Did Elon Musk Sieg Heil astatine Trump's inauguration?" asked the Jerusalem Post.

The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitism, disagreed.

"It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward motion successful a infinitesimal of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we admit that radical are connected edge," it posted connected Monday.

Soon aft his speech, Musk posted a Fox video clip of portions of his code connected X, that chopped distant from the podium erstwhile helium made the archetypal motion portion facing the cameras. "The aboriginal is truthful exciting," helium wrote supra it.

A spokesperson for Trump did not instantly reply to requests for comment.

Some X users came to Musk's defence, claiming that Musk was expressing "my bosom goes retired to you" and criticising posts that suggested otherwise.

Musk sat adjacent Trump during the ceremonial successful the Capitol Rotunda, and helium pumped his fists erstwhile the president promoted the extremity of putting American astronauts connected Mars.

The infinitesimal sharply illustrated the antithetic concern the billionaire tech titan, who has lucrative contracts with the national government, has established with the incoming president.

Musk has backed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic enactment labelled arsenic right-wing-extremist by German information services, successful an upcoming nationalist election.

He hosted a broadcast with the party's person connected his societal media level earlier this month.