Wait, did he actually do it? That's basically the question that blew up the internet after Elon Musk stepped onto the stage at Madison Square Garden in October 2024. People were calling it an Elon Musk Nazi rally before the lights even went down. Honestly, the whole thing was a powder keg. You've got the world’s richest man, a "dark gothic MAGA" hat, and a venue with a really heavy history.
It wasn’t just a random Tuesday. This was October 27, 2024—just days before one of the most stressful elections in modern history. Donald Trump was back in his hometown of New York City. The energy was electric, but for a lot of people watching at home, it felt more than a little eerie.
The Madison Square Garden Connection
You can't talk about this without talking about 1939. That’s the year the German American Bund held a massive, pro-Nazi rally at the old Madison Square Garden. Fast forward to 2024, and the comparisons were everywhere. Hillary Clinton mentioned it. Tim Walz mentioned it.
Was it fair? Kinda depends on who you ask.
The Trump campaign called it a "closing message" to America. But the rhetoric on stage was, well, it was something else. You had Stephen Miller shouting that "America is for Americans and Americans only." You had a comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe, calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
Then came Musk.
The Gesture That Set the World on Fire
Musk didn't just walk on stage; he jumped. He was wearing a black cap with "Make America Great Again" in a gothic font. He started doing this dance, throwing his hands in the air.
Then it happened.
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Musk slapped his right hand against his heart. Then, he shot his arm out at an upward diagonal, palm down. He did it once. He turned around and did it again to the crowd behind him.
"My heart goes out to you," he shouted.
The backlash was instant. People on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok were screaming. "It’s a Nazi salute!" "He's signaling to the far-right!" Historians like Ruth Ben-Ghiat from NYU didn't hold back. She called it a "belligerent" Nazi salute. In Germany, where that gesture can actually get you arrested, the media went into a complete tailspin.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Salute"
Here is where it gets messy. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which usually hits these things hard, actually defended him at first. They said it was just an "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm."
Basically, they gave him the "awkward billionaire" pass.
Musk himself was pretty dismissive. He posted on X that the "everyone is Hitler" attack is "so tired." He called the accusations "dirty tricks."
A lot of his fans pointed out that he was literally saying "my heart goes out to you" while moving his hand from his heart to the crowd. It’s a common enough gesture in some circles, but when you do it at a rally that’s already being compared to 1939, you're playing with fire.
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Public Opinion Was Totally Split
According to a YouGov survey taken shortly after the event, America couldn't agree on what they saw.
- 42% of people saw a Nazi or Roman salute.
- 42% saw a "gesture from the heart."
- The rest were just confused or didn't care.
It was a perfect Rorschach test for 2024. If you liked Musk, he was being a patriot. If you hated him, he was a fascist.
Why This Still Matters in 2026
We are looking back at this over a year later, and the "Elon Musk Nazi rally" moment is still a talking point. Why? Because it wasn't a one-off.
In January 2025, during the inauguration celebrations, Musk did it again. He was at the Capital One Arena, and he made the exact same double-salute gesture. This time, the ADL had a much harder time defending him. Jewish leaders were furious. Masha Pearl, who runs a charity for Holocaust survivors, called it an "unmistakable symbol of hate."
Even his own daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, reportedly said the gesture was "definitely a Nazi salute."
The drama didn't stop there. Just recently, in early 2026, conservatives started pointing at the new New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani. They claimed Mamdani made a similar arm gesture and wondered why the media wasn't calling him a Nazi. Musk even chimed in on X, saying "They lie," referring to the media's double standard.
The Real Fallout
Whether you think it was a deliberate dog whistle or just a guy who doesn't know what to do with his arms, the impact was real.
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- Advertiser Exodus: More brands fled X because they didn't want their logos next to "fascist" discourse.
- Global Scrutiny: European leaders, especially in Germany and France, started looking at Musk’s political interference much more closely.
- DOGE Tensions: Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was constantly overshadowed by these controversies.
It’s easy to get lost in the "is he or isn't he" debate. But the reality is that Musk knows how symbols work. He’s a guy who lives for the "troll." He likes to trigger the "woke mind mold," as he calls it. Sometimes, that means crossing lines that most people think should never be touched.
How to Navigate the Noise
If you're trying to figure out what to believe about the Elon Musk Nazi rally claims, look at the context. Don't just watch a 3-second clip. Watch the whole speech. Look at who else was on stage. Check the history of the venue.
Symbols don't exist in a vacuum. They mean what the audience thinks they mean, and they mean what the speaker intends—and often, those two things don't line up.
Moving forward, the best way to handle these viral "optics" moments is to look for primary sources. Don't trust a screenshot. Look for the raw video. Check what independent watchdog groups are saying, but also see how the person in question explains themselves. In Musk's case, he usually explains it with a meme or a lawsuit threat.
Keep an eye on the official X accounts of the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center for updates on how these gestures are being classified in 2026. The definitions are shifting fast.
Stay skeptical. Read everything. And maybe, just maybe, don't take your political cues from a guy in a gothic MAGA hat.