Elon Musk’s dad sparked debate by offering a bizarre explanation defending his son after allegations of making a ‘Nazi salute’ gesture.
Recently, Elon Musk faced controversy over an alleged Nazi salute he made during a speech.
His father, Errol Musk, has come forward to defend him, providing an unusual explanation for the gesture.
Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s inauguration
The incident occurred during Donald Trump’s 2025 presidential inauguration.
Elon Musk, a close supporter of Trump, raised his right hand over his heart and then thrust it into the air.
This action led to accusations that he was making a Nazi salute, which sparked significant backlash from various critics.
Elon Musk has denied these claims, saying that people are simply playing politics.
He expressed his frustration on social media, stating that the constant accusations of fascism are tiresome.
“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he said in a post to X, previously known as Twitter before his takeover of the platform.
Elon Musk’s dad defends him with puzzling excuse for alleged ‘Nazi salute’
Errol Musk, a businessman and politician from South Africa, appeared on the Arab news network Al Arabiya to discuss the situation.
He described the uproar surrounding his son’s gesture as “nonsense.”
Errol explained that Elon struggles with public speaking and was trying to get through his speech as quickly as possible.
He shared his own experience of speaking in front of large audiences, recalling how it can be nerve-wracking.
Errol emphasized that Elon was merely trying to appear charming while delivering his speech, even if he was not very smooth in his delivery.
Musk Snr said: “Nonsense. Elon is a terrible public speaker, he has a lot to learn. I struggled with it at the beginning of my career when I was elected to the city council.
“You have to stand up and talk to a bunch of very wise people all starring at you.
Your nerve goes, it doesn’t matter if you’ve written your notes down. Your eyes don’t read… you become blurred.
“Knowing him as well as I do… I could see he was struggling to get through his speech as fast as possible and to try and look as charming as possible, as he could.
But he struggles. He hasn’t reached the incredibly smooth level of people like yourself [the interviewer] who have years of experience.”
Elon Musk’s dad explained the controversial gesture
In his defense, Errol Musk stated that the gesture Elon made was not a Nazi salute but rather an “international salute.”
“It was an international salute we have had for the last 10,000 years, perhaps more.
The old German hail Caesar, of course, emanated from, no doubt, the Persians, the Sumerians, and so on.
“It simply meant my right hand is empty. I do not carry a weapon.”
Errol cited ancient Persian and Sumerian practices, arguing the salute was misinterpreted in today’s context.
Errol Musk defends his son Elon Musk's 'salute':
"It means my right hand is empty, I do not carry a weapon"
Errol Musk joined us for an exclusive interview where he says that people have misinterpreted @elonmusk's gesture and was not meant to replicate a Nazi salute. #ElonMusk pic.twitter.com/pfvhPnYR4k
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 24, 2025
Reactions to the explanation
The explanation provided by Errol Musk has drawn mixed reactions.
One user said: Well, his dad is not a politician. He also never made the money that Elon did. He also is nowhere near as successful
The second user wrote: The “Nazi” salute was specifically 4 fingers with the thumb folded in, good rage bait though.
The third user added: His Dad is so jealous of his sons success. Dad needs to keep his mouth shut.
Another user said: Isn’t his dad the one who beat Elon’s mom and also didn’t help raise his children?
Someone commented: He said he’s a Nazi. How is a Nazi doing a Nazi salute bizarre?