Honestly, if you’ve been anywhere near social media in the last year, you’ve probably seen the footage. It’s one of those clips that looks like it was designed in a lab to start a fight. Elon Musk, standing in front of a crowd, raising his arm in a way that—to put it mildly—caused an absolute meltdown. Depending on who you ask, it was either a moment of extreme social awkwardness or a deliberate nod to some of history's darkest ideologies.
The phrase elon musk hailing hitler started trending faster than a SpaceX rocket. People weren't just talking about a gesture; they were talking about the world’s richest man, a guy with massive government contracts and control over one of the biggest digital town squares, seemingly winking at neo-Nazis. It wasn't just a "bad tweet" this time. It felt different.
But as with everything involving Musk, the reality is a messy tangle of context, intent, and very public PR disasters.
What Actually Happened at the Rally?
The flashpoint occurred during a rally following Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025. Musk was on stage, soaking up the cheers of a crowd that clearly viewed him as a hero. At one point, he raised his right arm, palm down, in a stiff-armed salute. Then he did it again.
The internet did what the internet does: it exploded.
Critics pointed out that the gesture looked identical to the "Heil Hitler" salute banned in Germany. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an NYU professor and expert on fascism, called it "belligerent." In Germany, where the salute is literally illegal, the reaction was even harsher. Michel Friedman, a former leader in the German Jewish community, called the display a "disgrace."
On the flip side, Musk’s defenders—and Musk himself—had a totally different story. They argued it was a "gesture from the heart." Senator Ted Cruz claimed Musk was simply saying his heart went out to the people. Even the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which had been feuding with Musk for years, initially came to his defense, calling it an "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm."
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It's a bizarre split. You’ve got half the world seeing a fascist dog whistle and the other half seeing a guy who doesn't know what to do with his hands when people cheer for him.
The Long Road to the "Actual Truth" Controversy
You can't really understand why the salute caused such a panic without looking at what happened in late 2023. That’s when things got truly ugly for Musk’s reputation.
A user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a variation of the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory. This is the idea that Jewish communities are intentionally bringing in "hordes of minorities" to replace white populations. It’s the same ideology that motivated the Tree of Life synagogue shooter.
Musk’s response? "You have said the actual truth."
That six-word reply was a total earthquake. It wasn't a joke about Dogecoin or a weird meme. It was an explicit endorsement of an antisemitic trope. The White House condemned it as an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate." Major advertisers like Disney, Apple, and IBM didn't just walk away; they sprinted.
The Fallout and the "Go F*** Yourself" Interview
By the time the DealBook Summit rolled around in November 2023, the pressure was at a boiling point. Musk sat down with Andrew Ross Sorkin for what was supposed to be a damage-control interview. Instead, it became one of the most famous moments in business history.
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When asked about the advertiser boycott, Musk didn't apologize. Well, he sorta did, calling his tweet his "worst and dumbest" ever. But then he turned his fire on the companies that left.
"If somebody is going to try and blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself," he said. He even called out Disney CEO Bob Iger by name. "Hey Bob, if you're in the audience."
It was pure, unadulterated Musk. He argued that if the company failed because of the boycott, the public would blame the advertisers, not him. It was a bold gamble, but it left the platform's finances in shambles and the public's perception of his views more fractured than ever.
Why People Keep Using the Phrase Elon Musk Hailing Hitler
Basically, the "hailing" controversy is a Rorschach test for how you view Musk.
If you think he’s a dangerous radical, the salute at the 2025 rally was the smoking gun. You see a pattern: he interacts with far-right accounts, he amplifies "Great Replacement" rhetoric, and eventually, he makes the gesture. To this group, the "awkwardness" is just a convenient excuse for a guy who knows exactly what he’s doing.
If you’re a fan, you see a guy who gets attacked for everything he does. You point to his 2024 visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Ben Shapiro. You note that he called himself "aspirationally Jewish" and laid a wreath at the wall of death. You argue that a guy who visits a concentration camp to pay his respects isn't the same guy who would give a Nazi salute in public.
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The Complexity of Intent
Nuance is hard to find on the internet, but it's where the truth usually lives. Musk has famously stated he has Asperger’s (now commonly referred to as being on the autism spectrum). This can often lead to stiff body language or "odd" social cues.
Does that explain the salute? Maybe.
But critics argue that even if it was an accident, a person in his position—surrounded by advisors and aware of the political climate—should know better. They argue that "accidentally" looking like you're elon musk hailing hitler is a failure of responsibility when you're one of the most influential people on Earth.
The Business Impact: Beyond the Headlines
The controversy isn't just about feelings; it’s about cold, hard cash. X has struggled significantly since these incidents. Estimates suggest the platform's valuation has plummeted by more than 70% since Musk bought it for $44 billion.
- Advertiser Exodus: While some have returned, many "blue-chip" brands remain wary of their ads appearing next to controversial content.
- Platform Shifts: X has leaned heavily into a subscription model (X Premium) to offset the loss of ad revenue, but it hasn't fully filled the hole.
- Political Realignment: Musk has moved from being a darling of the tech elite to a core figure in right-wing politics, which changes who wants to do business with him.
What's Next for Musk and the Public's Perception?
The debate over Musk’s intentions isn't going away. He continues to post a hundred times a day, frequently dipping into the most heated cultural and political battles.
If you want to stay informed about this without falling into the trap of misinformation, there are a few things you should do. First, look at the full video of any "scandalous" clip. A three-second GIF can be very misleading. Second, track the responses from diverse organizations—don't just read one side. The gap between what the ADL says and what historians of fascism say is often where the most interesting insights are.
Moving forward, the focus will likely shift from what Musk says to what he does through his companies and his political influence. Whether the salute was a mistake or a message, the ripple effects are still being felt across the tech industry and the global political stage.
To keep a clear head in the Musk news cycle, prioritize primary sources like full interview transcripts over social media snippets. Monitor how X's community notes handle these controversies, as they often provide the "missing" context that changes the narrative entirely.