Elon Musk (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Elon Musk has responded to the backlash after leaving several people upset over a curious gesture he made during Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Musk was one of the many big names who attended the event at the United States Capitol and would make a speech in which he thanked the crowd for “making it happen” before putting his right hand over his heart and pushing it out into the air ahead of him.

He turned to those sitting behind him to repeat the gesture.

“My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured,” he said to Trump after giving the salute.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO was later accused of performing a “Nazi salute,” with most of the criticism coming from users of his own social media platform, X.

Musk took to the same platform to respond.

“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he wrote in a tweet. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

Historian Claire Aubin, who specializes in Nazism in America, claimed the gesture was a “sieg heil” or Nazi salute.

“My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,” she wrote in a post.

“Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too,” Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, added.

Historian of fascism here. That was a Nazi salute – and a very belligerent one too https://t.co/PB9sFCVJGA

— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) January 20, 2025

Anti-Defamation League Defends Elon Musk

This all comes at a time when Elon Musk has significantly shifted his political views to the right. He has also made recent statements supporting Germany’s far-right AfD party and British anti-immigration party Reform UK.

Still, he has been defended by the Anti-Defamation League.

“It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” they posted.

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