Telling the Truth: What Elon Musk Did is Terrifying

This week the Trump-Vance administration took office and immediately got to work, pushing out dozens of executive orders targeting LGBTQ+ people, undocumented immigrants, and the federal workforce. Amidst all the pomp and action, Elon Musk took the stage and performed one of the most terrifying symbols of the day.

“There are elections that come and go, some elections are important and some are not. But this one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you, thank you, for making it happen,” Musk said. He then slapped his right hand into his chest and extended his right arm on an upwards diagonal, fingers together and palm facing down. He turned around and performed the same gesture again, extending his arm outwards in a gesture reminiscent of the worst of Nazi Germany, this time facing away from the crowd. “My heart goes out to you. It’s thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”

The Roman salute, recognized widely because of its use in Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, is a two hundred year old symbol. While there’s no evidence it was ever used in ancient Rome, Jacques-Louis David's painting, The Oath of the Horatii (1784), popularized it by drawing a connection between Rome and 18th century imperial powers. It was used as an official greeting by the Nazis, but after the war most people came to see it as a hate symbol and in Germany the salute is now forbidden.

While Musk laughed at the controversy, The Rolling Stone covered a range of far right figures who praised his actions, including Andrew Gorba, the founder of the Christian Nationalist platform Gab, who said, “Incredible things are happening already lmao.” The New York University affiliated historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat wrote on BlueSky, “Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.”

Here at Interfaith Alliance, we recognize that hatred doesn't come in a vacuum. The targeting of queer and trans people, religious and racial minorities, and the undocumented doesn't happen all on its own; it’s a part of a wider network that uses hate and demonization to further a far right agenda that hurts most Americans. That's why Interfaith Alliance is taking a hard stance against Project 2025 and joining our allies at Democracy Forward to fight for true religious freedom and against hateful policies. Our new report, “Together Against Hate” lays out our approach for building diverse, multi-religious coalitions to take on hate while keeping our communities safe.

Knowing we have a long road ahead of us, for now we have to tell the truth: Nazi salutes have no place in our country.