Elon Musk’s bizarre gesture at Donald Trump’s inauguration has set off a media firestorm. While some outlets and organisations downplay the move as an “awkward gesture,” others are bluntly calling it a Nazi salute. And that’s not sitting well with some journalists, who say the public is turning a blind eye to clear extremist signals while obsessing over relatively minor issues—like pronouns.
Musk’s Salute Sparks Outrage
During his remarks on Monday, Musk performed what many interpret as a Nazi salute—raising his arm once toward the crowd, then turning around and doing it again. Viewers took to social media, alarmed by the gesture’s historical connotations. Even so, the Anti-Defamation League described it as a mere “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.” NBC News framed it as Musk “forcefully touch[ing] his heart, before raising his hand and saluting supporters.”
Ava Santina Evans: “We’re fine with a Nazi salute but not pronouns?”
On a BBC segment, journalist Ava Santina Evans highlighted the irony. She questioned why some conservatives complain so loudly about pronouns, yet seem unbothered by an apparent Nazi salute on live television.
“Don’t you love that we’ve been told for years to fear pronouns—and then someone does a Nazi salute behind the President’s podium and we’re fine with that?”
Doubt and Denial
Some Musk supporters claim it was either a “symbol of love” or a “Roman salute.” However, historian Martin Winkler points out that “Roman salutes” in this form did not exist in ancient Rome. Meanwhile, LBC host James O’Brien invited sceptics to “try that gesture in Germany or Austria” where the Nazi salute is illegal. He suggested a surefire test: replicate Musk’s two-step chest-and-arm motion in a public place to see the reaction.
Publications Criticised for Watering It Down
Other reporters slammed outlets for simply calling it a “controversial hand gesture.” Columnist Jessica Valenti reminded them to “have some courage” and call out such displays for what they appear to be.
“They are laughing at us,” she said. “They do these things right in front of our faces because they know publications won’t have the integrity to say what it really is.”
The Need for Unvarnished Truth
Many journalists stress that, in the next four years, it’s vital to report the facts plainly—even when it’s uncomfortable. They argue that failing to identify a Nazi salute as such erodes public trust and emboldens those pushing extremist agendas. After all, as Valenti pointed out, “We all know what that was. He knows what it was.”
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