CNN Sparks Fury After Claiming Elon Musk Made A Nazi Salute During Speech
CNN came under fire Monday after airing a segment suggesting that Elon Musk’s gesture during President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally resembled a Nazi salute.
The network repeatedly aired footage of Musk, a prominent Trump supporter, making a motion that anchors speculated carried sinister implications.
The event occurred the night before Trump was sworn in for his second term during a rally in Washington, D.C. Musk, Tesla’s CEO and a high-profile figure in Trump’s circle, addressed the crowd and expressed gratitude for their support in re-electing the president.
In the clip, Musk placed his right hand over his chest before extending it outward with his palm facing down. CNN anchor Erin Burnett and her colleague described the gesture as “quick” and “unusual for a political rally,” leaving its meaning open to interpretation.
“I think our viewers are smart, and they can take a look at that,” Burnett said, per Trending Politics.
The footage was replayed repeatedly, with the anchors suggesting the motion could be interpreted as a Nazi salute.
This isn’t the first time Trump and his allies have faced such accusations. Critics have previously drawn parallels between Trump rallies and events held by extremist groups, including a 1939 Nazi Party offshoot gathering at Madison Square Garden.
Musk swiftly dismissed the allegations on X, calling the claims a baseless smear attempt.
Quoting a user who referred to the accusations as part of CNN’s “dirty tricks campaign,” Musk wrote, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Andrea Stoppa, a confidant of Musk, defended him, explaining the gesture had been misunderstood.
“That gesture, which some mistook for a Nazi salute, is simply Elon, who has autism, expressing his feelings by saying, ‘I want to give my heart to you,’” she wrote on X. “That is exactly what he communicated into the microphone. ELON DISLIKES EXTREMISTS!”
Musk’s gesture came during an emotional moment when he told the crowd, “Thank you. My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”
The motion followed a series of energetic dance moves and fist pumps that were part of Musk’s efforts to energize the audience.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also weighed in, urging restraint in making Nazi comparisons.
“It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” the organization posted on X.
Mainstream media outlets, however, ran provocative headlines. The Guardian published, “Elon Musk Appears to Make Back-to-Back Fascist Salutes at Inauguration Rally,” while The New York Times opted for a subtler tone with, “Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture.”
Conservative commentators and Musk supporters criticized CNN’s coverage as an attempt to stoke outrage and undermine Trump’s inauguration.
“There’s nothing they hate more than sound judgment,” conservative political commentator Scott Jennings wrote in a Daily Mail piece.
He also highlighted the media’s portrayal of Musk, stating, “That tells you everything you need to know about why the Left is in utter shambles – nothing more than a dejected bunch of backward-looking, narrow-minded scolds, perennially revolted by their fellow Americans,” wrote Jennings.
“And obsessed with creating narratives that simply don’t exist.”
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