Elon Musk Performs Sieg Heil Nazi Salute at Trump’s Inauguration
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America.
Also in attendance of Trump’s inauguration were billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Musk, who has no prior experience in politics, has been named the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, (DOGE) a department that was not in existence until Trump’s presidency, and has raised confusion and questions on what purpose it serves.
Speaking of Trump’s victory at the inauguration, Musk said, “I just want to say thank you for making it happen.” Musk then made a salute to the audience that is being unmistakably recognized as a Sieg Heil Nazi Salute by German Newspapers and historians across the world.
While many Republicans are publicly denouncing the media’s claim of the salute being tied to Nazi ideology, Newspapers across Europe have been publicly naming the salute as such, something that the American news media has seemingly been more hesitant to do so.
Musk, who grew up during the Apartheid regime in South Africa, has publicly backed the far-right AfD party in Germany and has since received widespread support from Neo-Nazis, White Nationalists and far-right extremists. Rightwing Evan Kilgore posted on Musk’s social media site, “X’ “Did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler?” He then additionally stated, “We are so back.”
Musk has publicly endorsed Donald Trump and made no secret of his support for him, frequently accompanying him on the campaign trail at various rallies. Musk spent over $277 million in 2024 to help get Trump elected. Musk has a vested interest in Trump’s presidency, and he has made $154 billion since the day of the election.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have become concerned with how much governmental control Trump has given to Musk, who is not a democratically elected official, and how he has been given access to the treasury payment system. Based on his accruement of wealth and power since the election, Musk is exactly where he planned to be from the start.
