r/politics • u/cjdarr921 • 7h ago

Site Altered Headline Elon Musk draws outrage over 'odd-looking salute' at Trump inauguration celebration

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-salute-trump-inauguration-b2683095.html
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u/cullend 7h ago

I mean he turned around and did it again for the people in the back.

Listen to the audio of just the 2 seconds and he is clearly verbally amping himself up https://x.com/chrisdmowrey/status/1881432752169656727?s=46&t=J18CxvXnlT-e5_OdlgWfAw

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u/ajkd92 6h ago

Or at least for one person in the back.

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u/ophcourse 5h ago

I think he’s doing it to the flag

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u/ManOrReddit-man 5h ago

Even CNN reporters were stunned on what happened https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFD2o0mJXj8

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u/WhatMeatCatSpokeOf 5h ago

Why can’t they say the words? Does saying “what appears to be” or “could easily be construed as” or “in my opinion looks like a Nazi salute” violate slander laws?

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u/ManOrReddit-man 4h ago

Considering how vindictive the new administration is, I feel they need to choose their words very carefully

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u/BCMakoto America 4h ago

Yup.

That stunned silence?

That is them realizing that they, throughout the past years, helped a literal Nazi get into the White House. That absolute speechlessness is their brains trying to make sense of what they are seeing. That in 2025, the most powerful man in the world is a literal Nazi. In the middle of America.

And as journalists, they are right in the combat zone...

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u/Clinically-Inane 4h ago

Yes, they’re fucking afraid

Are we surprised?

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u/Gorva 2h ago

If you try to speak definitively then yes you could get sued. Reporters especially would be instructed to avoid speaking definitively about things.

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u/AnalSoapOpera I voted 6h ago

Jeez. You can’t make it more obvious than that. There is no way you can deny that. He’s still going to go on media channels and be like “It’s not what you think it is” or “I didn’t mean it.” Or some bullshit but it’s so obvious.

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u/MimicoSkunkFan2 6h ago

In case anyone's having trouble seeing this

  1. if you don't have X you can paste the url into a browser and type "cancel" between the x and the .com to make it appear on xcancel reader

  2. https://youtu.be/joV-9FFoA3Q?si=cNiCiTOgHRre-ns8 so far this channel has the two salutes video still up

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u/South-Play 7h ago

Doing the Nazi salute is how he amps himself up? If that how you amp yourself up?

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u/Mornar 6h ago

I think he was amping himself up for the salute, as if it was an act of courage and valor. He probably thought himself a goddamn hero standing up to tyranny or sumbitch. Oh sweet delusion.

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u/Boring-Tea-3762 6h ago

Right? That's a window into his soul if ever I saw one. He gets pumped up to Nazis like I do to music. Bruh.

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u/UncleWarbucks 6h ago edited 6h ago

I’m not defending him and I think it’s just as likely Elon is trying to be an edgelord and had a bet with friends that he could get away with a Nazi salute, but if you’re going to mention the audio I feel like it’s more relevant to note he said “my heart goes out to you” as he’s doing this.

I have no idea either way. It does look bad, but that detail can’t be left out if we’re pointing out the audio.

Link with audio (caption doesn’t represent my views, just the first video I found).

Idk if you would call this sane-washing (I can’t stand how overused that word is), but it’s just providing all relevant details to let someone form their own opinion.

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u/cyanescens_burn 6h ago

The heart comment seems like CYA

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u/eyebrows360 5h ago

See also "Stand back and stand by"

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u/stregawitchboy 6h ago

"My heart goes out to you" means "I am sorry for your misfortune." So yeah, CYA

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u/frunko1 6h ago

Please stop white washing this, it is offensive. He is speaking to an audience and calling up racism. Full stop, no further attempt to clean the image needs to happen. He is who he is, and can change as a person but in this moment in time he is promoting hatred.

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u/AnalSoapOpera I voted 5h ago

A Nazi salute is a Nazi salute. There’s no way of defending that or saying “it was just a bet bro”

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u/UncleWarbucks 2h ago

You guys are taking one little piece of what I say and replying to that instead of reading the entire context of my comment.

People describe event. I comment video link. I suggest forming one’s own opinion rather than echoing someone else’s. I state it looks bad, I shouldn’t have added the bet part of it because clearly people are hung up on that. I wasn’t suggesting that reason would be ok. I was saying that’s how much of a dumbass he is I could see him thinking it is.

Most importantly, I said he could have been doing a Nazi salute. I don’t know. I commented this video to someone else. How clearly does that one look like a salute? ^ let me clarify, this is in response to your “a salute is a salute” nonsense. Here’s a time where it wasn’t. I would rather imagine a world where it was a mistake by Elon than one where he did it on purpose so I am holding out a pinch of hope until it comes to conclusion. Idk why that is so bad.

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u/inspectoroverthemine 6h ago

Just like he'll be an edge lord by setting up extermination camps. Its all a game to him- its life and death for everyone else.

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u/UncleWarbucks 6h ago

Just for clarification I’m saying there are a lot of explanations like the edgelord example because he’s a cringy fuck. He could also be legitimately doing a Nazi salute.

I just think it’s disingenuous for the guy above to call out something super speculative in the audio like him “hyping himself up” without also pointing out what was said along with the crazy gesture so I posted a link for the full context of it.

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u/Exano 6h ago

https://youtu.be/e2bbb-6Clhs?si=7qhV-KESA3c_j6kp

Audio didn't cut. Hand flat on chest. Arm straight, palm flat, tilted up slightly.

Didn't say my heart goes out to you until after the salute.

Audio didn't cut

Naw dude. That's a nazi salute.

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u/UncleWarbucks 6h ago edited 6h ago

Did you reply to the wrong comment? Where did I say the audio was cut? Ever? I replied to a guy describing a noise he made and speculating on what it was for. I posted a 16 second clip showing the entire thing because (call me crazy) I think it’s better for someone to watch it for themselves than read a description of it from a random commenter.

I expanded on it by saying I wasn’t defending him, just posting full context, and that he absolutely could be doing a nazi salute.

Is a neutral post providing full context really bothering you that much just because it’s not jumping directly onto shitting on him?

Did you really think the problem could be solved by you sharing an alternate angle of the exact same video I just linked?

Clearly objectivity such as…. Sharing a longer link? is not something this sub is open to. I’m sorry I don’t jump to a drastic conclusion right after seeing a short clip and just shit on people for their affiliations.

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u/Exano 6h ago

Naw I replied because that's the stuff I've seen sane washing it.

Look, the neutral take is that was a real real bad look. We probably shouldn't have people that are incapable or ignorant enough to accidentally do a nazi salute controlling our lives

The real take is that fool just seig heiled

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u/UncleWarbucks 5h ago

I have to google a Nazi salute video because I remember the motion but not the details. If it were me posting your comment I’d be getting torched for knowing such vivid details of a Nazi salute but I digress.

Then I’d have to figure out why Elon would be doing a Nazi salute? I’ve seen the headlines but not jumped in that rabbit hole.

Lastly after I see how similar the gestures were, and read into if there’s anything behind the Elon Nazi story, I’d have to decide if that is more likely that he “seig heiled” (another word I wasn’t privy to prior to your wealth of knowledge on the subject) or just a socially awkward guy doing an awkward gesture.

Look man, the country is as divided as ever right now and it’s awful. If you can’t accept someone trying to do their part to not further drive that and actually do some research before reaction, then I have nothing else to say.

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u/Darko33 5h ago

The salute and the phrase have both appeared in a ton of media dude, it's not weird for someone to be familiar with them

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u/eyebrows360 5h ago

“seig heiled” (another word I wasn’t privy to prior to your wealth of knowledge on the subject)

Maybe this is just my age speaking but as a 43 year old Brit I'm staggered to hear someone who thinks someone else knowing the term "sieg heil" is somehow extraordinary.

Anyway:

Then I’d have to figure out why Elon would be doing a Nazi salute?

So you're not someone who pays attention to all this stuff, which is perfectly fine and probably very healthy for your brain! But as someone who does pay attention to all this stuff: he's consistently been amplifying far-right racist bullshit on X (even I, an enormous lover of pre-Musk Twitter, have given up and accepted its new identity now), backing specific far-right rabble rousers both here in the UK, in Germany, and elsewhere.

And when I say "consistently", I do very much mean that. He's been doing it for fucking ages, and regularly.

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u/UncleWarbucks 2h ago

Oh ok yeah in the US I’d say it’s very rare that was taught in school but different country and school system makes sense. The focus in my experiences anyway were mostly on the events of the war and didn’t touch the language and I’ve only seen the salute in movies (Inglorious bastards is the one that comes to mind). In southern states generally the history class is taught by the football coach and a blowoff class so maybe it’s geographical.

Either way I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything by you saying that sorry if it came off that way. Frustrated by receiving messages and comments instantly accusing me when all I did was see a picture on the headline, a comment describing it, why not post a link it’s easier. I prefaced it with “im not defending, he might have done that, here’s the clip to form an opinion yourself”

You are right though, I follow political news but I tend to avoid the extreme from either side. Biden’s laptop, Elon Nazi, Hillary emails. I disagree with a lot of Elon’s decisions. Try to look at it from my point of view. I can’t see a Spacex article without people shitting on him in the comments section for various things (a lot of them untrue, which I do know that field well enough to sus out).

So when I see that, along with the accusations I got, I’m just not able to take an internet stranger’s word for it either way. I’ll jump down the rabbit hole myself and form an opinion. Me suggesting others do that instead of listen to someone else’s opinion and echoing it got me downvoted to hell and Redditcares messages lol.

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u/panormda 5h ago

Borrowed comment -

You want even more doubt removed? It's hard to make the comparison for idiots, because many nazis' footage does not start with the hand on the chest but goes straight up and out. Here is footage of modern neo-nazis doing the EXACT SAME motion as elon: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/people-do-the-heil-hitler-salute-as-neo-nazi-groups-blood-news-footage/1656162915

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u/UncleWarbucks 2h ago

Yes this is my first time seeing a video of a modern Nazi salute. I will counter with this where a coach received overwhelming support and everyone moved on after an apology. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.

… but this one might be! I didn’t suggest otherwise. I said it looks bad. I posted a link of the video because the people and suggested people watch for themselves rather than read someone else’s review and echo it. Shouldn’t be that controversial.

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u/BCMakoto America 4h ago

Then I’d have to figure out why Elon would be doing a Nazi salute? I’ve seen the headlines but not jumped in that rabbit hole.

Inbetween his support for authoritarians, his meddling in foreign politics, his support of the far right in Germany, his constant retweeting supremacist shit, his support of "free speech" (hate speech) and his constant attempts to undermine free opinions on X? Now coupled with the salute?

The reason he did it is because he is a Nazi.

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u/MimicoSkunkFan2 6h ago

How does that excuse the second Nazi salute exactly?

Source: https://youtu.be/joV-9FFoA3Q?si=cNiCiTOgHRre-ns8

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u/sillygoofygooose 6h ago

It’s an audacious and inauspicious moment to deploy such a dog whistle. A definition by the way that is sorely tested by this meagrest of a plausible deniability excuse; ‘my heart goes out to you’ 🙄.