If you were online on January 20, 2025, you probably saw the footage. It was everywhere. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and newly minted government efficiency czar, standing on a stage during the celebratory parade for Donald Trump’s inauguration. He’s dancing, he’s jumping, and then—suddenly—he stops. He slaps his hand to his chest and flings his right arm straight out, palm down, into the air. He does it once. Then he turns around and does it again to the crowd behind him.
The internet basically exploded. Within minutes, the phrase Elon Musk Hitler salute video was trending globally. For some, it was a blatant, mask-off moment of fascist signaling. For others, it was just Elon being Elon—awkward, impulsive, and probably just trying to do a "Roman salute" without thinking through the optics.
Honestly, the context makes it even weirder. He had just finished a speech at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. He told the crowd, "My heart goes out to you," while making the gesture. But in a world where symbols are everything, a straight-arm salute at a political rally carries a weight that can't just be laughed off.
Breaking down the Elon Musk Hitler salute video
To understand why this caused such a massive firestorm, you have to look at the clip itself. It wasn't a grainy deepfake or a "hot mic" moment. It was high-definition, multi-angle footage broadcasted by every major news outlet from CNN to the BBC.
Musk’s movement was precise. He didn't just wave. He extended his arm diagonally upward with a flat palm. Historians and experts on extremism, like Ruth Ben-Ghiat from NYU, didn't mince words. She called it "a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too." The visual similarity to the Hitlergruß—which is strictly illegal in Germany—was enough to trigger police investigations in Berlin after images of the gesture were projected onto the side of a Tesla Gigafactory.
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But the defense came just as fast. Andrea Stroppa, an advisor to Musk, claimed it was a gesture of affection. He argued that Musk, who has been open about having Aspergers (autism), was simply expressing "I want to give my heart to you." It’s a lot to process. On one hand, you have the literal dictionary definition of a fascist salute. On the other, you have a billionaire who often moves and reacts in ways that don't fit standard social cues.
The ADL and the "Grace" controversy
Perhaps the most surprising part of the whole saga was the reaction from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Usually, the ADL is the first to call out this kind of imagery. This time? They took a different route. They posted on X that Musk had made an "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm" and urged everyone to give him the benefit of the doubt.
That didn't go over well with everyone.
- Abraham Foxman, the former ADL director, called the gesture "very disconcerting."
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused the ADL of defending a "Heil Hitler salute."
- The Jewish Council for Public Affairs stated flatly that Musk knew "precisely what he was doing."
Was it a Roman salute or something else?
Whenever someone gets caught doing a straight-arm gesture, the "Roman salute" defense almost always comes out. The idea is that it’s an ancient sign of respect from the Roman Empire.
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Here’s the thing: historians generally agree that the "Roman salute" as we think of it is a myth. Martin M. Winkler, a classics professor who wrote an entire book on the subject, found zero evidence that ancient Romans actually did this. No statues, no coins, no writings. It was actually popularized in 19th-century stage plays and later adopted by Mussolini’s fascists and Hitler’s Nazis.
So, even if Musk thought he was doing a Roman salute, he was technically performing a gesture invented for melodrama and made infamous by 20th-century dictators. It’s a distinction without a difference for most people watching the Elon Musk Hitler salute video.
The response from the man himself
Musk didn't exactly go on a late-night apology tour. He did what he always does: he went to X and started posting. He called the backlash a "dirty trick" and said the "everyone is Hitler" attack was "sooo tired."
He even doubled down with some pretty questionable humor. He posted a series of Nazi-themed puns, like "Some people will Goebbels anything down!" and "Bet you did nazi that coming." For a guy trying to prove he isn't a fan of that era, making Goebbels jokes probably wasn't the most effective PR strategy.
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Why the video still matters today
This wasn't just a 24-hour news cycle blip. It represented a massive shift in how the public views the intersection of tech, wealth, and politics. When the world's richest man—who now has a massive role in the U.S. government—uses imagery associated with the darkest parts of the 20th century, people get nervous.
You also have to look at who was cheering. On neo-Nazi forums like Stormfront and encrypted Telegram channels, the reaction was celebratory. Figures like Christopher Pohlhaus of the "Blood Tribe" and Jon Minadeo II of the "Goyim Defense League" saw it as a "white power" moment. Whether Musk intended to signal to them or not, they certainly felt signaled to.
Taking a step back: What can we actually conclude?
We can't get inside Elon Musk's head. We don't know his intent. But we do know the impact.
- The Visuals: The gesture matches the technical definition of a Nazi/Roman salute (outstretched arm, palm down).
- The Defense: Supporters point to his neurodivergence and the "heart to the sun" explanation.
- The Context: It happened during a high-energy political rally where he was celebrating a hard-fought victory.
- The Legal Side: While legal in the U.S. under the First Amendment, it caused genuine legal friction in Germany.
If you are looking for a "smoking gun" that Musk is a secret devotee of 1930s German ideology, you won't find it in a five-second clip. But if you are looking for evidence of a man who is increasingly comfortable pushing the boundaries of political decorum and using provocative symbols, the Elon Musk Hitler salute video is basically Exhibit A.
To navigate this kind of viral news in the future, always look for the unedited footage rather than the 2-second looped GIFs. Context matters, even if the context itself is still pretty weird. Pay attention to how different groups—historians, political allies, and extremist watchdogs—interpret the same 5 seconds of footage. It’s a masterclass in how modern media and political tribalism work.