Right-wing extremists have been posting gleeful reactions to the dubious salute made by Elon Musk during Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The tech mogul took to stage to thank the American electorate for voting to ‘save civilisation’, but he let his emotions get the better of him in a bizarre moment that has become a world-wide talking point ever since.
Musk gestured to the crowd to show his appreciation by moving his hand to his chest and then holding his arm outstretched in the air.
He then repeated the action, complete with an open palm.
It has generated an absolute storm online, with some people comparing it to a ‘Roman Salute’ – a gesture popularised by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime.
Per Rolling Stone reports, a number of right-wing extremists have celebrated the salute since it was orchestrated by the X owner on stage.
Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the notorious neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, posted the clip of Musk’s salute on Telegram with a lightning-bolt emoji (evocative of the Nazi SS) and the caption: “I don’t care if this was a mistake. I’m going to enjoy the tears over it.”
Another neo-Nazi leader, Christopher Hood, who founded the New England race-separatist movement NSC-131, also posted the clip to Telegram with the emojis ⁉️and 😁.
Andrew Torba is the founder of the far-right Christian Nationalist social media platform Gab, which pioneered AI-powered Nazi chatbots.
He shared the clip on his account with the caption: “Incredible things are happening already lmao.”
Far-right author Keith Woods, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center has called a “self-described ethno-nationalist and antisemite,” shared the clip in a post on X, writing: “Ok maybe woke really is dead.”
Thomas Sewell, an Australia-based neo-Nazi, whose Telegram avatar is a picture of himself throwing a Roman salute, posted the video of Musk calling it a “Donald Trump White Power moment.”
While The Proud Boys Ohio chapter posted a clip of the Musk video to its Telegram channel with the text, “Hail Trump!”
Related: Keir Starmer shuts down GB News journalist after question about far-right protests last summer