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'He Is Who We Think He Is': Elon Musk Appears to Do Fascist Salutes at Post-Inauguration Celebration
"Tomorrow we'll get an explanation that it wasn't a Sieg Heil, he was just pantomiming his 'heart going out to the people.' Legacy media will basically accept this explanation. But you know what you saw and you know what he is," wrote one observer.
Jan 20, 2025
While concluding his remarks at a Washington, D.C. celebration rally following President Donald Trump's inauguration Monday, Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk raised his right arm, with his palm facing down, in a gesture that appeared to resemble a salute associated with Nazi Germany. Musk can be seen making the gesture twice.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group that combats antisemitism, defines the Nazi salute as consisting of "raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down."
The ADL, however, released a statement on Monday saying that Musk's gesture was not a Nazi salute. "It seems that [Elon Musk] made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute," the group wrote on the platform X, which is owned by Musk. "In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath," they wrote.
The ADL's comment engendered criticism, including from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who wrote in response, "Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity."
Former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) wrote: "Dang he meant that. Looks as if he's been holding that in for a while and finally was able to let it rip. Like he practiced in the mirror to hit that angle just right."
Others also weighed in on social media. "Did Elon Musk just hit the roman salute at his inauguration speech?” Twitch streamer Hasan Piker posted on X. "Why isn't Elon Musk doing two Nazi salutes at Trump's inauguration a lead story today?" asked political strategist Walid Shahid.
A Bluesky user wrote "Casual Nazi salute on live television."
"He accidentally did a Nazi salute... TWICE," wrote the journalist Mehdi Hasan. "He is who we think he is."
Musk, a GOP megadonor who is slated to play a key role in the Trump administration, has expressed his support for the Alternative for Germany party (AfD), a virulently ant-immigration party that has been designated by the German domestic intelligence service as a "suspected extremist" organization. Figures in the party have been accused of using Nazi slogans in speeches and downplaying the Holocaust. Musk held a live event on X with the leader of AfD, Alice Weidel, in early January.
Musk has also repeatedly attacked billionaire and philanthropist George Soros, who has been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories, including by sharing social media posts that falsely claimed Soros "collaborated with the Nazis as a teenager" and describing him as a "psychopath trying to destroy the West," according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz
Michael McCarthy, a PhD student at Indiana University wrote on X: "Tomorrow we'll get an explanation that it wasn't a Sieg Heil, he was just pantomiming his 'heart going out to the people.' Legacy media will basically accept this explanation."
"But you know what you saw," McCarthy added. "And you know what he is."
This article was updated with comments from the ADL and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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Progressives in Congress Back Harris as Small Donations Mount
"Kamala Harris will defeat Donald Trump not only because she offers a stronger economic vision, but because she will defend the fundamental rights and freedoms that MAGA Republicans are attacking across the nation."
Jul 22, 2024
Several progressive members of Congress and organizations have endorsed U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris since President Joe Biden on Sunday exited the contest and expressed his support for her becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
Three of the four original "Squad" members—Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) swiftly backed the vice president to face former Republican President Donald Trump and his newly announced running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), in November.
"Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November," said Ocasio-Cortez, who had sounded the alarm about some Democrats' calls for Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate.
"Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy," the congresswoman added. "Let's get to work."
Omar shared a pair of photos of her and the vice president on social media and said, "Thrilled to support Kamala Harris as our Democratic nominee and remain committed to working alongside her to defeat Donald Trump in November."
In addition to also posting a photo with Harris, Pressley spoke of her support for the vice president on MSNBC.
Unlike her colleagues, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress and a leading critic of U.S. complicity in Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, called for an open process at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois next month.
As The Detroit Newsreported:
Tlaib, who never endorsed Biden for president, in her statement said she looks forward to engaging with Harris as she tries to "inspire" the Democratic base in her district, saying she hopes this year's convention "makes the candidates move with their base."
"We are in unprecedented times but the demands of our constituents and people across the country remain the same: They want a president and government that is focused on saving lives, giving people the ability to thrive, and valuing the humanity of one another over bombs," Tlaib said.
"I support a transparent democratic process at an open convention next month, and hope there is a fair vote on the resolution at the DNC that calls for an arms embargo to stop the Israeli government's war crimes."
Rep. Jamaal Bowman's (D-N.Y.) criticism of the Israeli war made him a top target of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which helped Westchester County Executive George Latimer defeat the congressman in a democratic primary last month.
Although he is leaving Washington, D.C. at the end of his term, Bowman still weighed in on Harris, calling her "the most qualified and best choice to lead us forward."
Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who is facing an AIPAC-backed candidate in her primary next month, was the first Squad member to endorse Harris on Sunday, issuing a lengthy statement that said in part: "When we say trust Black women, we mean it. Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party and it is past time for us to lead our country forward. Kamala Harris is more than ready to lead at this moment."
"As we look forward to November, it is clear to me that Vice President Kamala Harris has the vision to carry this legacy forward, defeat Donald Trump, and I unequivocally endorse her for president of the United States," added Bush. Harris would be the first Black and Asian woman on a major U.S. party presidential ticket.
Fellow Squad member Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) also quickly backed Harris, saying: "We have no time to waste—what's at stake for communities like mine isn't abstract. We need to unify and move forward to defeat Trump and fascism in November. That's why I endorse and encourage unity behind Vice President Kamala Harris."
Harris also has support from Reps. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), and Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) as well as the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) political action committee, which is co-chaired by Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
The three lawmakers all individually endorsed her and said in a joint statement:
A critical partner in the legislative wins of the last four years, Vice President Harris has demonstrated her ability to deliver on the urgent issues facing working people and marginalized communities. Under her leadership, this country has created a record number of jobs, boosted investments in housing and education, increased access to capital for underserved communities, erased medical debt, and forgiven more student loan debt than any administration in history. She has worked tirelessly to demonstrate her commitment to creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive, traveling the country nonstop to hear directly from impacted communities.
Kamala Harris will defeat Donald Trump not only because she offers a stronger economic vision, but because she will defend the fundamental rights and freedoms that MAGA Republicans are attacking across the nation. As Republicans plot a right-wing takeover of our government with Project 2025, Kamala Harris is standing up for our nation's highest values of freedom, justice, and equality for all.
Other CPC leaders backing Harris include Democratic Reps. Greg Casar (Texas), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), and Barbara Lee (Calif.).
So far, more than 150 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and over 30 in the Senate—including Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Ron Wyden (Ore.)—have come out in support of Harris, according to a Newsweek tracker.
Notably missing from that list is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2000 and was in favor of Biden remaining in the race. After the president's Sunday announcement, Sanders released a short statement thanking him for his service.
Groups that have endorsed Harris include the American Federation of Teachers, End Citizens United, Gen-Z for Change, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible, MoveOn, People's Action, Reproductive Freedom for All, Service Employees International Union, and United Farm Workers.
As of 9:00 pm ET Sunday, "grassroots supporters have raised $46.7 million through ActBlue following Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign launch," the Democratic fundraising platform said on social media. "This has been the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle. Small-dollar donors are fired up and ready to take on this election."
Some deep-pocketed donors, including hedge fund billionaire George Soros and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, are also behind Harris, according toForbes. The outlet reported that the Biden-Harris—which amended its Federal Election Commission paperwork on Sunday—has $91 million.
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'Never Trump' Republican Operative Known for Anti-Semitic Attacks on George Soros Now Working to Defeat Sanders in Democratic Primary
"Forty years of dancing with the devil and all of a sudden centrist GOP voters want to switch sides so they can poison the Democratic Party too? Thanks, no thanks."
Feb 12, 2020
A longtime Republican operative known for spreading anti-Semitic tropes about billionaire George Soros in 2018 is behind a dark money effort in Nevada to get right-wing voters to mobilize against Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state's 2020 Democratic presidential primary caucuses on February 22.
Tim Miller, also known for his work on the failed Jeb Bush presidential campaign in 2016, is one of the directors of the new company Center Action Now, which is targeting Sanders in Nevada.
As the Nevada Independent's Megan Messerly reported Wednesday, a Center Action Now memo details plans to mobilize right-wing voters in the state dissatisfied with President Donald Trump to weigh in on the primary to ensure the Democratic Party doesn't stray from the center-right lane.
"The voters we're talking to, they're not happy with the state of the Republican Party," said Miller. "They're not happy with the president. So we're educating them to get involved in the Democratic process so they can back a candidate they can be happy about and that they can support."
Thus far, Center Action Now has only run ads against Sanders and Trump and it's unclear whether the Nevada voter mobilization effort as laid out in the memo will come to fruition. But the group has plans to mobilize against Democratic presidential primary candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state's 2020 caucuses, Miller said.
According to the Nevada Independent:
In addition to Miller, Sarah Longwell, a political strategist and another Never Trump Republican, and John Stubbs, a former official in the George W. Bush administration who founded a Republicans for Hillary Clinton group in 2016, serve on the nonprofit-s board of directors.
Miller declined to provide any details about who is funding the group, its budget, or the size of its staff. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, the organization is not required to disclose its donors. According to Facebook, the group spent $13,280 on ads the day before and the day of the New Hampshire primary. The Nevada campaign, Miller said, will begin "imminently."
The group's attack ads against Sanders in New Hampshire used Soviet imagery and scare tactics around socialism to discourage voters from voting for the Vermont senator.
\u201cA brand-new #DarkMoney group founded by anti-Trump Republicans called "Center Action Now" is targeting New Hampshire residents with anti- Bernie Sanders messaging. \n\nhttps://t.co/HtrXDsPAHG #NHprimary2020\u201d— OpenSecrets.org (@OpenSecrets.org) 1581457207
In comment to Quartz, Miller said that Center Action Now's efforts to get out the right-wing vote were aimed at providing voters with choice, not to game the system.
"This is not akin to [conservative talk show host] Hugh Hewitt going on TV saying Trump supporters should vote for the weakest Democrats to help him--that's meddling," said Miller. "The people who we are trying to talk to are voters who don't like the president, who want him to be defeated, people who are concerned that both parties have succumbed to the extremes."
Miller's work for Definers Public Affairs came under fire in November 2018 after the New York Timesrevealed the firm was using anti-Semitic tropes about Soros to discredit left-wing activists on Facebook. The fallout from that scandal resulted in Miller being fired from his job as guest Republican on the Pod Save America podcast and Definers losing its contract with Facebook.
In an example of the revolving door in the political consulting world, Definers former chief executive Matt Rhoades, who also worked on Mitt Romney's failed 2012 presidential campaign, has since founded with former Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook the nonprofit Defending Digital Democracy Project at Harvard University.
Both Rhoades and Mook worked with the Iowa Democratic Party on election security in the fall of 2019, months before a malfunctioning phone app threw the Hawkeye State's caucuses into chaos.
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