Elon Musk has spoken out after being accused of giving a ‘Nazi salute’ during Donald Trump’s inauguration.

On Monday (January 20), Donald Trump was officially sworn into the White House as the 47th President of the United States and for his second term since 2021.

The President made a raft of promises during his inauguration speech as he vowed the ‘golden age of America begins’ with his term.

However, during his inauguration celebration, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder, Musk, appeared to make a ‘Nazi salute’ in the Capitol One Arena, Washington, ahead of the Inauguration Day parade.

Musk made the awkward gesture inside the Capitol One Arena during the inauguration (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The 53-year-old appeared to be thrilled about the prospect of sending a man to Mars and planting an American flag, during which the Twitter owner thumped his chest and shot his right arm out towards the sky.

The billionaire tech mogul commented: “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you, my heart goes out to you,” before turning back to the audience and repeating the bizarre gesture towards the American flag.

The move sparked controversy online with many describing the gesture as akin to a fascist salute or ‘odd-looking’, such as CNN anchors, Erin Burnett and Kasie Hunt, reports The Independent.

Hunt noted the move was ‘evocative of things that we have seen through history’ and ‘not something you typically see at American rallies’.

Others on Twitter accused Musk of making a ‘Sieg Heil’ as ‘clear as day’, while others said the move was indefensible and couldn’t have been a mistake or accident seen as as he ‘did it twice’.

However, the Anti-Defamation League, the antisemitism watchdog, has since defended Musk, writing on Twitter: “It seems that [Musk] make an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people on on edge.”

The statement added: “This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.

“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”

US Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez snapped back to the New York-based group: “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity.

“People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all.”

What has Elon Musk said about the gesture?

Now, Musk himself appears to have spoken out amid the backlash, writing in response that Ocasio-Cortex has ‘just 100 percent lost her marbles’.

Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term yesterday (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Another user jumped to his defense, writing: “Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing? It didn’t work during the election, it’s not working now, it’s tired, boring, and old material, you’ve burned out its effect, people don’t feel shocked by it anymore, the wolf has been cried too many times.”

Musk responded with a ‘yeah exactly’ and a yawn emoji.

“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he wrote in a follow-up. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

Musk was also the subject of social media chatter earlier in the day when Trump commented on America’s goal to send a person to Mars, during which Musk gave an enthusiastic thumbs up next to a less-than-impressed Barron Trump.

Elon Musk’s ex Grimes issued a lengthy statement after the tech billionaire was accused of making a ‘Nazi salute’ during President Trump’s inauguration.

On Monday (January 20), Donald Trump was officially sworn into the White House as the 47th President of the United States and for his second term since 2021.

However, during his inauguration celebration, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder, Musk, appeared to make a ‘Nazi salute’ in the Capitol One Arena, Washington.

The 53-year-old appeared to be thrilled about the prospect of sending a man to Mars and planting an American flag, during which the X owner thumped his chest and shot his right arm out towards the sky.

The world’s richest man commented: “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you, my heart goes out to you,” before turning back to the audience and repeating the bizarre gesture towards the American flag.

Musk sparked controversy after making the gesture inside the Capitol One Arena during the inauguration (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Dozens of viewers flooded social media with their thoughts on the matter, accusing Musk of making a ‘Sieg Heil’ as clear as day’ – and not only once, but twice.

Meanwhile Tesla owners were left uncomfortable by Musk’s actions.

Musk himself addressed the comments on his Twitter account, while the Anti-Defamation League claimed it was an ‘awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm’ as opposed to a ‘Nazi salute’.

Now, singer Grimes – who shares children X Æ A-Xii, 4, Exa Dark Sideræl, 3, and Techno Mechanicus, 2 with the tech entrepreneur – has addressed the situation.

She issued a lengthy response via X after a fan threatened to unfollow the Canadian native and ‘cover up’ their tattoo of her.

Musk with his and Grimes’ eldest son, X Æ A-Xii (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

“It is unhealthy that people are this upset when I have not even been online yet today and am only just learning about this controversy now,” Grimes – who dated Musk between 2018 and 2022 – began.

The musician vowed to research the incident in more detail before properly responding, adding: “It’s absurd that someone can be this cancelled for something their ex did before they even heard it happened.

“I am not him. I will not make a statement every time he does something. I can only send love back into a world that is hurting.”

She added she wasn’t asking for ‘sympathy,’ continuing in part: “I choose my children’s wellbeing. I promise you it doesn’t feel good to be hated all the time for things I don’t even know about, cannot predict and cannot control.

Grimes issued a lengthy response to a fan on X (@Grimezsz/X)

“But I also chose this path, I accept it. I make the best of it, and I simply wish happiness and health to all.”

Grimes and Musks’ youngest two children were born via surrogate and in 2021, while X Æ A-Xii was born naturally.

In 2021, the year their daughter Exa arrived, Musk also welcomed twins with Neuralink director Shivon Zilis.

He and Zilis welcomed a third child last year.

Grimes had previously told Vanity Fair she and ‘love of my life’ Musk had always wanted ‘at least three or four’ children.

Musk has a total of 12 kids with three different women.

Elon Musk has hit out at Wikipedia’s founders after the website documented the accusations he has faced since Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Billionaire Elon Musk was one of the many famous faces in attendance at Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Monday (20 January). However, one particular moment from Musk on stage caused a massive stir around the world.

The Tesla CEO has been accused of doing a ‘nazi salute’ to the audience twice – once to the crowd in front of them, and once to the crowd behind him. Take a look at the moment here:

While on stage he said: “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you, my heart goes out to you.”

Musk has denied this was his intention and other defenders of the billionaire have argued he was doing a Roman salute, or was ‘giving his heart to the crowd’.

Now, the Wikipedia page on Musk has been updated to explain the scenario and highlights figures that have taken issue with it, much to Musk’s disapproval.

It read: “Musk thumped his right hand over his heart, fingers spread wide, and then extended his right arm out, emphatically, at an upward angle, palm down and fingers together.

Musk has been accused of making a nazi salute during a speech during Trump’s inauguration (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

“He then repeated the gesture to the crowd on his back. As he finished the gestures, he said to the crowd, ‘My heart goes out to you’.

“The gesture was viewed as a Nazi salute or Roman salute by many, including politicians Yolanda Díaz, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jerry Nadler, as well as historian of fascism Ruth Ben-Ghiat.”

Musk furiously took shots at the co-founders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in response, saying that Wikipedia had become an extension of left wing media or ‘legacy media’.

@elonmusk

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Since legacy media propaganda is considered a “valid” source by Wikipedia, it naturally simply becomes an extension of legacy media propaganda!

The Rabbit Hole

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Wikipedia is an extension of legacy media.

9:16 AM · Jan 21, 2025

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In a tweet, he wrote: “Since legacy media propaganda is considered a ‘valid’ source by Wikipedia, it naturally simply becomes an extension of legacy media propaganda!”

In another tweet he added: “Defund Wikipedia until balance is restored.”

However, Wales did not back down from hitting back out at Musk.

In his own post he wrote: “I think Elon is unhappy that Wikipedia is not for sale. I hope his campaign to defund us results in lots of donations from people who care about the truth.

One of the Wikipedia founders hit back at Musk after his comments (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

“If Elon wanted to help, he’d be encouraging kind and thoughtful intellectual people he agrees with to engage.”

Despite the accusations against musk, the Anti-Defamation League defended the South African billionaire.

In a statement on Twitter, the organization said: “It seems that [Musk] make an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people on edge.”

Today has been coming for a long time, if you’re a Republican you’ll be delighted but if you’re not then it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US President will take place in Washington DC, beginning at 11.30am Eastern Time and around half-an-hour into it the 78-year-old will be sworn in for his second time in charge.

But during the President-elect’s final ‘MAGA’ rally before he is sworn in, he spoke about vote counting computers in Pennsylvania and people on Twitter think he might have incriminated himself and Elon Musk in ‘odd’ confession at the rally.

President-elect Donald Trump came out with a weird statement about vote-counting computers during his final speech before being sworn in as President (NewsMax TV)

Speaking of Musk at the rally, Trump said: “And then he journeyed to Pennslyvania where he spent a month and a half campaigning for me and he’s a popular guy.

“He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers, those vote-counting computers, and we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide.

“So, it was pretty good, it was pretty good. So, thank you to Elon.”

Taking to the social media platform, one user posted: “This is called a confession.”

“What an odd thing to say,” another typed.

While a third was shocked at what the soon-to-be president said. They said: “Did he just……..”

With a fourth adding: “Now, Trump suggests that Elon Musk rigged the PA vote-counting computers in his favor.

“Surely the GOP will be demanding a full investigation into Trump and his oligarch wannabe-dictator buddies. Right?”

However, not everyone saw it this way, and suggested that people are grasping at straws.

They tweeted: “I literally just watched it and he never said any of that…”

Elon Musk, who spoke during Trump’s victory rally, apparently knows vote-counting computers better than anybody (NewsMax TV)

While another explained: “‘Depending on which county a resident lives in, they may vote by voting machine, or they may vote with a paper ballot that is scanned in.

“Pennsylvania uses different systems to count mail-in ballots in some parts of the state that are used to count the same-day vote, and every vote in the state leaves a paper trail.’

“Therefore it would be technically impossible to hack voting machines since the paper trail would not match up. Wishful thinking though.”

Could that be all it was? I’m no expert but there’s too much conspiracy around vote-counting in the US, I personally believe Trump won fair and square – as did President Joe Biden in the 2020 elections.

“Now I’m convinced the inauguration will be inside due to protests,” commented one person, and by the outrage his comments have struck on Musk’s own social media platform… moving it indoors might be best.