Musk Controverses 'Salute' During Inauguration Event"Isn't it a Nazi-style greeting?"

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is considered the heavyweight of the second Donald Trump administration, has been embroiled in controversy for making moves reminiscent of Nazi-style personnel at his inauguration celebrations, foreign media reported.

Musk, who heads the new government's advisory body, the government's government efficiency department, made a salute gesture of raising one hand during his speech at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on the 20th local time.

While thanking the cheering Trump supporters, he thanked them by hitting their chests with his right hand and raising his hand diagonally, and later pointed out on social media that it reminds them of Nazi-style greetings.

The Israeli daily Haaretz pointed out that Musk made "a Roman salute, a fascist salute most commonly associated with Nazi Germany."

"Musk just did a real-time Nazi salute on TV," critic Eric Feiglding, a public health expert who made his name during the pandemic.

In response, the Anti-Defamation League, which campaigns against anti-Semitism in the United States, said in a statement that Musk appeared to have made an awkward move at a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.

Musk has also sparked controversy last week when he spoke with the leader of Germany's far-right party and urged German voters to vote.