WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk’s arm gesture, which was widely interpreted as a Nazi salute during President Donald Trump’s inauguration event, continues to stir controversy on social media. Now, the tech mogul has drawn singer Taylor Swift into the debate.
Musk recently reposted images of various public figures with their arms raised on his X account, including one on January 22 featuring Swift at a concert with her right arm raised.
Elon Musk responds to Nazi salute controversy
The controversy began after Musk made headlines for allegedly giving a Nazi salute following his speech at Trump’s inauguration festivities in Washington, DC, on January 20.
After briefly celebrating Trump’s victory and thanking his supporters, Musk appeared to place his hand on his chest and extended his right arm into the air, repeating the gesture for the other side of the crowd.
The videos quickly went viral, with many viewers linking Musk’s arm movement to the Nazi salute, further fueling online debate.
On January 21, Musk addressed the controversy in a post on X, stating: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Musk, who recently took on the role of head of the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency, had also promised a “very exciting” future in his speech at the Capital One Arena on January 20, vowing to help “make the future good” and bring DOGE to Mars.
Elon Musk’s repost of Taylor Swift’s picture sparks backlash
Musk’s repost of a picture featuring Taylor Swift triggered backlash from the pop star’s fans and other Reddit users, who criticized his move as the “dumbest defense.”
A user said, “They’ve all been doing this, just grabbing random screenshots of people’s with their hands in the air. Dumbest possible defense I can think of tbh 😂😂😂”
Another added, “What a clown. It’s pathetic the only way he and the other republicans can defend themselves are through lies and misinformation. Why not show it as a video Elon??”
The third commentator remarked, “This weirdo is really pushing it, eh? Uh oh, someone’s in trouble. He really thought people would be quiet and accept it. He’s an interesting (nut) case for sure. But we must put him in his place, once and for all.”
“I hope she sues and the Swifties eat him alive,” said a fan of Taylor Swift.
A person said, “Leave her alone! Scram! She doesn’t want to talk to you!”
Fans also pointed out in the comments that Swift’s gesture, seen in a video of her waving to the crowd, was not comparable to the Nazi salute that Musk reportedly performed earlier in the week at Trump’s event.
A comment read, “I absolutely f**king hate Elon Musk, he did a Hitler salute and is somehow trying to turn this onto Taylor swift”
“Huh, I wonder why everyone is sharing a *video* of Elon Musk but you’re only sharing a *photo* of Taylor Swift? Maybe because yours shows a wave that looked absolutely nothing like a Nazi salute, unless you freeze the split second when she was opening and closing her hand?” other chimed in.
One slammed Musk saying, “He’s freakily obsessed with taylor. like he said something about getting her pregnant once.”
