Let’s cut straight to the point: at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday 20 January, far-right tech billionaire and now member of the US president’s top team in government Elon Musk gave a fascist (or Nazi if you prefer) salute – beamed to millions of people around the world:
Elon Musk just did a Nazi salute at the Capitol One Arena in Washington pic.twitter.com/mrUkVyEd0j
— René #FreePalestine 🟥🚩🇵🇸 (@rcmoya84) January 20, 2025
Musk just did a fascist salute
For the avoidance of doubt, here it is from another angle:
WTF was this Musk salute? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZFbAZfQToT
— ₿uckerino (@Buckerino) January 20, 2025
And again:
Did Elon Musk just do a Hitler salute? pic.twitter.com/WF62CazApw
— Clarity Crypto (@clearlydegen) January 20, 2025
Now, whether or not Musk intended to do this or not remains…
Actually, fuck that.
Musk knew exactly what he was doing.
People on X were trying to claim it was a Roman salute – not a Nazi or fascist one:
https:/twitter.com/ImThe3GirlsMom/status/1881431761340813776
Except there was no such thing as this.
The Roman salute is not a thing
The Roman salute is a gesture involving an outstretched arm, usually with the palm facing downward. Contrary to popular belief, there is little evidence to suggest that this gesture was commonly used in ancient Rome.
The association of the gesture with Rome likely originated in the 18th and 19th centuries through artistic representations in European neoclassical art and theater. Painters and playwrights, inspired by classical antiquity, began depicting Roman figures performing a raised-arm salute as a symbol of unity, loyalty, or authority, despite the lack of historical evidence for its widespread use in Roman society.
The Roman salute became more prominent in popular culture after its use in the early 20th century, notably in Italian Fascism. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party adopted the gesture in the 1920s as a symbol of their claimed connection to the grandeur of ancient Rome.
Mussolini’s invocation of Roman imagery and traditions sought to legitimize his regime as a revival of Roman imperial greatness.
The gesture gained further notoriety when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party adopted it in Germany during the 1930s. The Nazis used the salute, often accompanied by the phrase “Heil Hitler,” as a compulsory expression of allegiance and reverence for the Führer.
This association firmly tied the gesture to the ideology of National Socialism and its atrocities.
Musk doing a Nazi salute should not surprise
After World War II, the Roman salute was widely condemned due to its connection with Fascist and Nazi regimes. Many countries criminalized its use to prevent the glorification of such ideologies.
Today, the Roman salute remains a controversial symbol, with its origins in neoclassical imagination overshadowed by its dark legacy as an emblem of totalitarianism and oppression in the 20th and 21st centuries – which is probably why Musk used it.
Featured image via screengrab
