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On January 20, 2025, while speaking at a rally celebrating U.S. president Donald Trump's second inauguration, businessman and political figure Elon Musk twice made a gesture interpreted by some as a Nazi or Roman salute.[a] On Twitter (now officially X), Musk dismissed the accusations of Nazi sympathies, derided them as being politicized,[2][3][4] and described them as a "tired" attack.[5][6] The Anti-Defamation League defended Musk and argued that the gesture carried no significant meaning, but condemned the Nazi-themed jokes he made in the backlash of the incident.
Multiple European political parties demanded that Musk be banned from entering their countries. Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups celebrated the gestures. The incident has been described as part of a pattern of Musk's public behavior, which includes the endorsement of an antisemitic post on his social media platform and Twitter, as well as his endorsement of far-right European political parties.
- ^ "Elon Musk's gesture at Trump rally draws scrutiny". BBC News. January 21, 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:7was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wickman, Kase (January 21, 2025). "Elon Musk Sure Isn't Denying That His Inaugural Gesture Was a Nazi Salute". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
gesture embracedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (January 21, 2025). "Musk on salute blowback: 'Frankly, they need better dirty tricks'". The Hill.
- ^ "What Elon Musk's Salute Was All About". The New York Times. January 24, 2025.
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