Elon Musk angrily responds after Wikipedia labels his controversial gesture as a “Nazi salute,” sparking further public debate.
In a recent incident at Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Elon Musk faced backlash for a gesture that some labeled a “Nazi salute.”
The Tesla CEO’s actions on stage have sparked a heated debate and resulted in a furious response from Musk himself.
Elon Musk sparks controversy over his gesture during Donald Trump’s inauguration.
During the inauguration event on January 20, 2025, Musk was seen making a hand gesture that raised eyebrows.
He thumped his right hand over his heart, then extended his arm upward, drawing attention from the audience.
While on stage he said: “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you, my heart goes out to you.”
This act was captured on video and quickly spread online.
Wikipedia accuses Musk of showing Nazi Salute on stage
Musk’s Wikipedia page was updated to detail the incident and highlight critics, which Musk expressed disapproval over.
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.
“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.”
Critics, including several politicians and historians, described Musk’s gesture as a Nazi salute.
They pointed out that it resembled the infamous salute associated with the Nazi regime.
However, Musk and his supporters argued that he was attempting a Roman salute or simply expressing enthusiasm.
Musk responds fiercely to Wikipedia’s accusation of his ‘Nazi Salute’ at Trump’s inauguration
Following the uproar, Musk took to Twitter to express his frustration.
He criticized Wikipedia for its description of the incident, claiming it had become biased and aligned with left-wing media.
In one tweet, he stated, “Since legacy media propaganda is considered a ‘valid’ source by Wikipedia, it naturally simply becomes an extension of legacy media propaganda!”
Musk further called for people to “defund Wikipedia” until they restore balance in their reporting.
In another tweet he added: “Defund Wikipedia until balance is restored.”
Wikipedia defended its integrity against Musk’s claims.
In response to Musk’s comments, Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, defended the integrity of the platform.
He remarked that Musk seemed unhappy that Wikipedia could not be bought or influenced.
Wales suggested that if Musk wanted to help, he should encourage productive discussions rather than attacking the platform.
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.
“If Elon wanted to help, he’d be encouraging kind and thoughtful intellectual people he agrees with to engage.”
Support from the Anti-Defamation League
Despite the accusations against Musk, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) offered a different perspective.
They released a statement indicating that Musk’s gesture appeared to be an awkward moment of enthusiasm rather than a deliberate Nazi salute.
The ADL acknowledged that people are on edge about such gestures but emphasized that context matters.
“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.”
The incident has sparked a wide range of reactions online.
Supporters of Musk argue that the backlash is unwarranted and that critics are overreacting to a simple gesture.
On the other hand, critics maintain that the gesture was inappropriate and should be taken seriously.
It’s a nazi salute. And if he’s too mentally deranged to know it’s a nazi salute then how is he intelligent enough to run his billion dollar companies, one user said.
Musk simply cannot tolerate independent, community-sourced knowledge that cannot be bought or corrupted.
It drives him crazy that he might have to face any accountability whatsoever, the second user wrote.
it was a nazi salute whether it was intentional or not. that salute is famous around the globe for all the worst reasons.
Elon Musk should be deeply ashamed! The third user commented.
People will just make a story about anything just to be relevant, another user said.
That is not nazi salute. Simple. Have you seen the real one? There this thing called youtube.
Watch the real thing before make any judgement, someone said.