A political editor for a German newspaper is blasting billionaire Elon Musk over a hand gesture Musk made that has sparked widespread outrage.
“A Hitler Salute is a Hitler Salute is a Hitler Salute,” read the headline on a column by Lenz Jacobsen in the German newspaper Die Zeit.
“The gesture speaks for itself; it’s documented on video. Those who want to see something else in it, who don’t want to see a Hitler salute, do so at their own risk,” Jacobsen wrote. “At its very core, this is about attention — society’s most contested currency, at a time where every image, video, and soundbite vies to be noticed every second of the day. Trump and Musk excel at this game, especially in turning even bad publicity to their advantage. Case in point.”
The column came with a photo of Musk making the hand gesture, which came during a celebration of President Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
Musk, a prolific social media presence and key member of Trump’s inner circle, has scoffed at the allegations that he was performing a Nazi salute, saying those making the comparison were deploying “dirty tricks.”
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” Musk wrote on the social platform X, which he owns, calling it “just another part of the ‘dirty tricks campaign.’”
Musk’s gesture sparked widespread outrage on Monday, with Democratic lawmakers and other observers noting the billionaire’s embrace of right-wing policies and conspiracies.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday also condemned Musk’s hand gesture, Reuters reported.
“We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany. Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire. And what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme-right positions,” Scholz said.
Meanwhile, The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a nonprofit focused on combating antisemitism, came to Musk’s defense.
“It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” the ADL said.
