Elon Musk has responded to claims that he gave a 'Nazi-style' salute while on stage at Donald Trump's inauguration.
The Tesla tycoon, 53, joined a string of celebrities and politicians in Washington on Monday (20 January) to show their support for the new President as power officially changed hands.
Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the USA and made a powerful speech laying out his promises as leader - which garnered a viral reaction from former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
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But his big day has been marred by controversy after Musk made a series of movements which many people have deemed as 'fascist'.
Take a look at this:
As well as being seen making a bizarre gesture after Trump confirmed his pledge to send US astronauts to Mars, the Space X boss later appeared to make other strange motions.
The billionaire has found himself in hot water as viewers watching the inauguration claim he made a 'Nazi salute' during his speech.
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While on stage at the Capitol One Arena, Musk was seen excitedly discussing the prospect of planting an American flag on Mars.
He then thanked the crowd for helping secure Trump's victory against Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, praising the audience for 'making it happen'.
Musk then appeared to thump his chest, before his right arm shot up in an angular motion towards the sky.
The businessman then turned away from the audience and replicated the gesture, this time towards a US flag which was draped over the stage.
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"My heart goes out to you," Musk then told supporters. "It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured."
During live coverage of the event, CNN anchor Erin Burnett was heard saying: "Standing ovation for Elon Musk. By far the biggest reception of the day. You saw him come out with that odd-looking salute."
Her colleague Kasie Hunt also pointed out that the gesture 'was evocative of things that we have seen through history' and 'not something you typically see at American rallies', the Independent reports.
Discussion about Musk's movements also erupted across social media, including on his own platform, X.
Many people have suggested the gesture was similar to a Nazi salute.
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One person said in a post on X: "Elon Musk just did a Nazi salute on national television."
Another wrote: "WTF?? What did Elon Musk just do??"
A third added: "THERE’S NO WAY ELON MUSK DID A SIEG HEIL AT TRUMP’S INAUGURATION."
And a fourth commented: "Even if you’re a Elon Musk d**krider, you have to acknowledge that this dude LITERALLY just did a Nazi salute. What the f**k????"
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According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Nazi salute is defined as 'raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down'.
What has Elon Musk said about the gesture?
After receiving a host of backlash on social media, Musk has now spoken out about the controversy.
In a post shared on his platform X today (21 January), he responded to a user who shared a screenshot of one of his own former tweets.
In May 2022, Musk shared a tweet saying: "In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party.
"But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican. Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold…"
Alongside the screenshot, the social media user wrote: "The salute hoax is just another part of the 'dirty tricks campaign'."
Quoting the post, Musk wrote: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Another user asked to 'retire the calling people a Nazi thing', to which Musk responded: "Yeah exactly," alongside a yawning emoji.
Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, History, Politics, Twitter, US News, Social Media, News
Olivia Burke