Neo-Nazis Love Elon Musk's Salute

What the actual f**k just happened?

Far-right extremists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis are celebrating Elon Musk’s recent salute during Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Hours after Donald Trump took the oath of office, Musk spoke at an event inside the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., where he stated, “Elections come and go, some elections are important, some are not, but this one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.”

Musk placed his right hand on his chest, then forcefully extended it straight out with his palm facing down and fingers touching, an unmistakable "Nazi salute." He then turned around to face the crowd behind him and repeated the salute.

Musk later shared a video of his speech on his Twitter account but viewers quickly noticed significant differences between his version and the full-length footage on C-SPAN.

Musk’s salute looks uncomfortably similar to the one from American History X. Ya know, the movie about neo-Nazis.

Wait a second, did Musk rebrand Twitter to X because of this? Or is the whole thing just an elaborate setup for the most cringe-worthy Easter egg ever? Someone should check his Netflix watch history, stat!

But regardless of Musk’s motivations, he made two unmistakable salutes and the message was received by Neo-nazis loud and clear. Christopher Hood, leader of the New England separatist movement NSC-131, posted the video with celebratory emojis.

Christopher Pohlhaus, leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, shared the clip on Twitter and reposted several images of Musk saluting, including one disturbing image of him in front of an American flag, this time, the 50 stars replaced with a swastika. The post was captioned, "This [N-word] too based,” accompanied by a lightning-bolt emoji, a symbol associated with the Nazi SS.

Evan Kilgore, a right-wing political commentator and Holocaust denier, posted on Twitter: “Holy crap…did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler at the Trump Inauguration Rally in Washington DC…This is incredible.” He later added, “We are so back.” Safe to say, Twitter has never felt more dystopian.

Musk’s salute didn’t go unnoticed by other extremists either. White Lives Matter also posted a thank-you message, accompanied by a banner drop calling for Musk to “Stop White Genocide.” Because nothing screams “serious movement” like a poorly hung bedsheet on an overpass.

Now, some people online are defending Musk, calling it fake news or suggesting he was just being awkward, trying to show appreciation for the crowd’s support. Believe me, the mental gymnastics here are exhausting.

However, there's a darker, more troubling context. Musk has long been connected to far-right movements, including Europe’s extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which the German government classifies as an extremist group. This becomes even more concerning when you consider that the party’s leader was fined twice last year for using a banned Nazi slogan.

After buying Twitter and rebranding it as X, Musk welcomed long-banned white nationalists back to the platform in the name of “free speech”. His own social media presence is often indistinguishable from far-right figures, frequently sharing memes and symbols associated with the alt-right, like the infamous Pepe the Frog, and even temporarily adopting the handle “Kekius Maximus.”

And when you take a look at Musk’s family history, the salute starts to make a lot more sense. His maternal grandparents were members of the Nazi Party in Canada before moving to South Africa, where they supported the Apartheid regime. It’s a troubling background that adds another layer to this whole situation.

I believe this is “Stand back and stand by” all over again, five simple words from Trump that ended up tripling the Proud Boys' membership.

At the end of the day, Elon Musk’s actions speak for themselves and the fact that neo-Nazis and white nationalists are celebrating it, only makes it clearer.

This isn’t just a one-off incident; it’s part of a troubling trend where extremist rhetoric finds its way into the mainstream. The context behind his actions is a wake-up call to the power figures like Musk hold in shaping public discourse, and it’s something we can’t just brush aside.