Elon Musk’s Crowd Salute Draws Ugly Comparisons After Inauguration

Elon Musk gave a speech to enthusiastic Donald Trump followers Monday, hours after the presidential inauguration … and he made a gesture that harkened again to a darkish time.

At Capital One Enviornment, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO strode to the rostrum, laughing maniacally, and thanked the cheering crowd … after which slapped his proper hand exhausting to his chest, and prolonged it out in entrance of him, palm down — in what appears very suspiciously like a Nazi salute. He then repeated the identical motion to these seated behind him.

The provocative sign has many individuals on-line and on-air evaluating the expression to the WWII-era “Sieg Heil” salute to Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler. That salute reportedly derives from an Historic Roman Empire salute, extra generally carried out with the slapped chest. Each salutes are typically related to fascist historical past in Europe.

Musk referred to as Trump’s victory a “fork in the road of human civilization.”

Musk was broadly mocked last fall when he bounded up onstage to an introduction by Trump in October, leaping up and down and baring his midriff earlier than a fawning speech to Trump, declaring himself “Dark MAGA.”