Elon Musk speaks out on 'Nazi salute' controversy at Donald Trump's inauguration

Elon Musk was accused of performing a Nazi salute astatine Donald Trump's inauguration but denied the claims saying those who criticise him 'need amended soiled tricks'

Elon Musk has spoken retired aft his limb motion during Donald Trump's inauguration was likened to a Nazi salute.

The SpaceX CEO, 53, made back-to-back gestures arsenic helium gave a code astatine Washington DC's Capital One Arena. He told Trump supporters: "Elections travel and go, immoderate are important and immoderate are not, but this 1 truly mattered and I conscionable privation to accidental convey you for making it happen."

After that, helium near galore shocked arsenic helium put his manus connected his chest, past stretched retired his limb with an unfastened hand. He made the motion doubly successful speedy succession and to galore it appeared the tech billionaire had performed a fascist salute - acquainted to astir from their usage by the Nazis successful reverence to Adolf Hitler.

On his ain societal media level X, users questioned what the motion meant. One wrote: "Did Elon Musk conscionable bash a Hitler salute." Another added: "holy s**t, elon musk conscionable did the nazi salute connected tv... astatine the president's inauguration..."

One much idiosyncratic added: "Elon Musk casually doing a Hitler salute successful beforehand of millions. Right." Others person suggested helium was simply gesturing that his "heart goes out" to the crowd.

But hours aft the accusations emerged, an relationship called 'The Rabbit Hole' re-shared a tweet Musk had written up of the US election, which read: "In the past I voted Democrat, due to the fact that they were (mostly) the kindness party. But they person go the enactment of part & hate, truthful I tin nary longer enactment them and volition ballot Republican. Now, ticker their soiled tricks run against maine unfold ... " The Rabbit Hole wrote that the "salute hoax" was conscionable "another portion of the 'dirty tricks campaign'" Musk had antecedently mentioned.

And Musk retweeted the post, issuing a effect to the accusation that helium did a Nazi salute, writing: "Frankly, they request amended soiled tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' onslaught is sooo tired." Musk shared a video of his code connected his X relationship - but the arguable infinitesimal was replaced by a assemblage shot.

Last week, Musk hosted an online interrogation with Alice Weidel, the person of AfD, Germany's far-right party. During the exchange, Weidel made the repeatedly debunked the assertion that Hitler wasn't far-right, but a communist oregon socialist - to which Musk agreed.

"The biggest occurrence aft that unspeakable epoch successful our past was to statement Adolf Hitler arsenic right[-wing] and conservative, helium was precisely the opposite," Weidel said. "He wasn't a conservative, helium wasn't a libertarian, helium was a communist, socialist guy, and we are the opposite." Musk replied: "Right." Musk has often praised AfD, saying it is the lone enactment that "can prevention Germany."