Celia Bueno
Senior Staff Writer
On Jan. 20, the entire world closely followed President Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States of America. Both during his electoral campaign and in the months leading up to his official appointment, millions of people watched the newly re-elected president’s next moves.
Images of the inauguration ceremony have circulated globally, but a specific three-second clip has flooded social media and caused a lot of discussion. The moment features Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and current CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter.
After finishing his speech with a pat on his chest, the tech industry mogul raised his right arm in a gesture that resembled the well-known Nazi salute.
The internet and media outlets have been filled with debates over whether this gesture was truly a reference to fascism or simply an action taken in the excitement of the moment.
According to U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times, the salute, performed with an extended arm and a downward-facing palm, can have various meanings depending on geographical location and historical period. Given that Musk and the Trump administration identify with far-right ideologies and practices, the public’s reaction and interpretation of Musk’s salute as a fascist symbol have not been surprising.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs has condemned Musk’s gesture, publicly stating, “Elon Musk knows precisely what he was doing with his fascist Roman salute at today’s Trump rally — which follows his explicit embrace of far-right parties and policies.”
Some have claimed that Musk’s salute was actually a reference to the Roman salute, as asserted by Andrea Stroppa — a man described by The New York Times as “Mr. Musk’s emissary in Italy” — who posted the following statement on X: “The Roman Empire is back, starting from the Roman salute.” The post was deleted.
Despite Stroppa’s assertion, experts like Martin M. Winkler, a distinguished professor of modern and classical languages at George Mason University, have stated that no physical evidence proves that the Romans used this gesture. Instead, it was a salute popularized in 20th-century Roman films, later adopted by European fascist leaders.
It is not only Musk’s salute that has raised alarms among the general public but also other elements present in Trump’s campaign and administration. According to journalist and novelist David Ignatius, the Jan. 20 inauguration felt “almost like a 21st-century emperor announcing edicts to his newly conquered princes and satraps.“
Beyond being labeled a fascist gesture, Elon Musk’s salute has underscored the growing presence of major tech entrepreneurs in modern American politics. This trend has been described as oligarchic, as The Washington Post stated in its article, “The defining theme of Trump’s triumphal return: Oligarchy.”
Right-wing tendencies and conservative ideologies seem to have gained ground on the 21st-century political stage as seen with Musk’s controversial gesture. These trends are accompanied by a series of public figures who, while undeniably charismatic, base a significant part of their campaigns on spectacle and controversy.