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Elon Musk Does Nazi Salute At Trump’s Inauguration On MLK Day

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Elon Musk, already one of the world’s most unlikeable figures, appears determined to continue down a path of cringe in new and exciting ways. Everyone knows Elon is an oligarch who has been tasked with overseeing the incoming Trump administration’s plutocrat friendly Department of Government Efficiency also known as DOGE; yes, like the memecoin, but an overt gesture to Nazism wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card. 

Yet, here we fucking are because Elon Musk appeared to do two Nazi salutes or “Sieg Heils” during a speech at Trump’s inauguration. He also equated Trump’s victory with a mission to save civilization. I wonder what he meant by that… 

Critics were quick to jump on Musk, pointing out his history of questionable interactions on X (formerly Twitter). Just a year ago, he had agreed with a post that accused Jewish communities of promoting hate against white people—a stance that drew significant backlash..

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However, not everyone was on the same page. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) stepped in, saying it looked more like an awkward move than anything sinister. Given Musk’s reputation for being socially awkward, many brushed it off as just that—a clumsy, weird moment caught on camera.

The ADL can be an interesting group. If a billionaire symbolically jerks off Hitler and promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories, it’s a misunderstanding, but if a college student doesn’t want to fund war crimes, they are treated like the face of antisemitism. Make it make sense.

Things got messier when neo-Nazi groups and far-right figures celebrated the gesture, seeing it as a nod to their ideology. This only fueled concerns about Musk’s recent leanings, especially since he’s been vocal about supporting controversial figures and movements in the past.

I don’t know with one hundred percent certainty that Musk meant it as a symbolic gesture to white supremacy, but since Elon has taken over Twitter, the amount of vitriolic right wing rhetoric that has made its way to my timeline is astounding. For example, I don’t follow Nick Fuentes. If you’re unfamiliar with Nick, you’re lucky. He’s a well-known white supremacist and antisemite who famously joined forces with Kanye West during his antisemitic tirades. Despite the fact that I don’t follow Nick Fuentes, his tweets regularly used to pop up on my timeline to the point that I had to block him. 

Interestingly, Musk has stayed silent about the whole thing, even after sharing the rally footage on X without addressing the gesture. His silence has left people guessing—was it intentional, or just another awkward Musk moment? If I was him, I’d try to distance myself from the Nazi allegations. The longer he stays silent, the more the move appears like a dog whistle to white supremacists. 

If it was, it wouldn’t be the first time the Trump administration has cozied up to blatant fascism, and I doubt it will be the last. To add insult to injury, all of this took place on MLK Day. 

America has been a joke for a long time, but it’s getting to the point where I’m too uncomfortable to laugh. 

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Abraham Woodliff - Bay Area Memelord

Abraham Woodliff - Bay Area Memelord

Abraham Woodliff is an Oakland-based writer, editor and digital content creator known for Bay Area Memes, a local meme page that has amassed nearly 200k followers. His work has appeared in SFGATE, The Bold Italic and of course, BrokeAssStuart.com. His book of short stories, personal essays and poetry entitled Don't Drown on Dry Ground is available now!