Latest news with #NaziSalute
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
New ‘Nazi salute' furore erupts in US as Democrat is accused of making the same gesture as Elon Musk
Remember that moment, back in January, when Elon Musk was accused of doing a 'Nazi salute' on stage? The Tesla and SpaceX boss, riding high on his own supply after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help Donald Trump get elected the previous year, got a little too excited after the US President's inauguration, and made a strange gesture. Mr Musk brought his right hand to his heart and then, with force, thrust it up and out to his side. He then turned and did the same thing towards the people seated behind him. Mr Musk paired it with a message of, 'my heart goes out to you,' which suggested he was, albeit clumsily, gesturing as though he were sending his heart out to the audience. Well, more like biffing it at them. Still, it was not the sort of gesture any of us see in our daily lives, and it bore a striking resemblance to a sinister one from the past, and it was enacted with a strange aggression. So those predisposed to believe the worst of Mr Musk did so. The hostile reactions ranged from believing it was a straight-up, intentional Nazi salute, to believing it was merely intended as a piece of trolling, to thinking it looked like a Nazi salute, but only by accident. Mr Musk didn't necessarily help himself by refraining from offering a clear explanation of what he meant by the gesture until days afterwards. 'Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired,' Mr Musk said in his first response. Later, he complained about media coverage of the moment. 'How many legacy media publications, talk shows, whatever, try to claim that I was a Nazi because of some random hand gesture at a rally where all I said was that my heart goes out to you?' he told CNBC. Mr Musk's gesture happened more than four months ago now, yet it lives on, particularly on the more extreme wings of American politics. On the left, it's still occasionally brought up as evidence that Mr Musk is some sort of fascist. The billionaire didn't help himself, in that regard, by lobbying so enthusiastically for Germany's far-right AfD party before the nation's most recent election. There's something much more substantive to critique, there, than an awkward hand gesture. On the right, a great deal of fun has been had perusing every Democratic politician's body movements since January 21, in search of anything that could be characterised as a parallel to Mr Musk's gesture, and hence a flagrant example of hypocrisy. Enter Cory Booker. He's a Democratic Senator from New Jersey, and a former (perhaps also future) failed presidential candidate. Over the weekend Mr Booker attended a party convention in Anaheim, California. At one point, during his time on stage, he performed a gesture similar to Mr Musk's. He started by bringing his right hand to his chest, and then extended the arm in a wave to the crowd. Here is how the still images of those moments look, side-by-side. And while you can watch the footage of each in the player at the top of this article, I'll pop that video here too. So, the upshot is, elements of the American right have accused the media of hypocrisy for reporting on one of these gestures, but not really on the other. 'You reported on Elon's hand gesture and compared him to a Nazi. I was looking for your article on Cory Booker's salute, but I couldn't find it,' Libs of TikTok account runner Chaya Raichik tweeted at MSNBC. 'I'm sure you probably just missed this story by mistake. Here's the clip. I look forward to your report condemning him.' 'Democrat Senator Cory Booker appears to do a 'Nazi' salute in front of a large crowd of Democrats. I'm looking forward to the wall to wall coverage from the 'honest' and totally not biased media,' said another right-wing influencer, Colin Rugg. 'Same gesture, different political party. Funny how that works,' said activist Brandon Straka, joking (sarcastically) that Mr Booker was 'giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute' while Mr Musk was 'personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media'. 'Cory Booker gives the exact same 'Nazi' salute to 4000 California Democrat Party delegates that the left has been screeching about Elon Musk doing for at least 130 days. I look forward to hearing all about how this is (D)ifferent,' said Kevin Dalton. The (D) being a reference to Mr Booker being a Democrat. 'I look forward to Senator Chris Murphy asking Cory Booker about doing the 'heil Hitler salute' like he did about Elon,' said Sara Rose. We could keep going; there is no shortage of similar examples. Mr Musk himself reposted a clip of Mr Booker's gesture with a raised eyebrow emoji. 'It's hilariously ironic to see the ret**ds who called Elon Musk a Nazi for a gesture doing the same thing,' the post he shared read. A spokeswoman for Mr Booker, Maya Krishna-Rogers, has said the Senator was 'obviously just waving to the crowd'. 'Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda.'
Fox News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Elon Musk and Cory Booker made similar salutes but media reacted much differently
The media hyperventilated earlier this year when Elon Musk made a gesture that his critics from the left insisted was a Nazi salute, but have turned a blind eye to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., doing a similar move. Musk was famously accused of doing the Nazi salute in January while celebrating President Donald Trump's inauguration at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., when the Tesla mogul placed his hand over his heart and quickly extended it in a motion that startled liberal pundits. Booker made a similar gesture on Saturday when he capped off a speech to the California Democratic Party's convention by placing his right hand on his chest before raising it to the crowd. When Musk made the motion, he told the crowd he wanted to thank Trump supporters "from my heart to yours," but many quickly accused Musk of the Nazi-era salute. "That salute was evocative of things we've seen through history," CNN host Kasie Hunt said at the time. "It's not something you typically see at American political rallies." CNN commentator Catherine Rampell accused Musk of making two "Sieg Heil" salutes. Speaking with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, former Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz suggested Musk had given a "Nazi salute" at a Trump inauguration rally. "Of course he did," Walz told Maddow. In contrast, as of Monday morning, CNN and MSNBC had ignored Booker's gesture, according to a search of respective transcripts using Grabien. The New York Times ran a lengthy piece in January headlined, "What Elon Musk's Salute Was All About," which asked, "So was it a Hitler salute or wasn't it?" "The straight-arm salute has meant very different things in different places and during different periods of history. But at a time when the far right is once again on the rise, the interpretation of this gesture being performed deliberately and publicly was straightforward — especially in Germany, where the salute's history lingers most powerfully," Times Berlin bureau chief Katrin Bennhold wrote. The Times had not covered Booker's gesture as of Monday morning. The Associated Press published a headline, "Musk's straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant," that declared the billionaire "elicited outrage" in Europe, where the salute "is associated with the hate, death and destruction of World War II." The AP had not put a spotlight on Booker's gesture as of Monday morning. The PBS News Hour X account posted that Musk "gave what appeared to be a fascist salute." The Guardian ran the headline "Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally." PBS and The Guardian have both ignored Booker's gesture. Politico also covered Musk with the headline, "Elon Musk's 'Nazi' salute sparks fury from Europe's left wing," but has given a pass to Booker more than 24 hours after his gesture. The Washington Post published a report, "Elon Musk's inauguration salute stokes debate in Congress, Europe," but has skipped the Booker gesture. USA Today, Reuters and Axios each also covered the Musk wave, but not Booker's version. ABC News, NBC News and CBS News did not cover Booker's gesture through Monday's morning newscasts. Heritage Foundation media fellow Tim Young believes this is yet another "of the many instances where you see a clear media bias against anything related to Trump." "Cory Booker and Elon Musk clearly made the exact same gesture, a wave that starts over their heart then 'sends their love' to the crowd they're speaking to. Neither have ever supported Nazis nor the Nazi Party, but the media created the lie about Elon to support their false 'Trump is literally Hitler' narrative and refuse to associate that same narrative with any Democrat, no matter how exact the wave was," Young told Fox News Digital. "It's exhausting to see how biased legacy media has become," Young continued. "Similar to covering up for Joe Biden's obvious declining health, this is just a false narrative to degrade conservatives and make the left look like the winners." Fox News Digital reached out to CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, AP, Axios, USA Today, Politico, Reuters, The Guardian, PBS and the Washington Post for comment. Musk has noticed that Booker has gotten a pass. "Legacy media is one big psy op," Musk wrote on X Sunday. Musk hit back at the accusations in January, stating, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired." While the media pounced, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement defending Musk, saying that he had made an "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute." "In this moment, all sides should give each one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt and take a breath," the statement said. Booker's team has attempted to downplay the similar hand gesture. "Cory Booker was obviously just waving to the crowd. Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda," a Booker spokesperson told Forbes. Booker's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-ESPN star Keith Olbermann claims to know clue that proves Elon Musk's infamous gesture was a Nazi 'salute'
Keith Olbermann, the erstwhile MSNBC and ESPN SportsCenter host, is doubling down on his claim that Elon Musk delivered a Nazi salute at a January rally for President Donald Trump. Although Musk has dismissed such accusations as 'dirty tricks,' Olbermann and other liberal pundits have attacked Trump's biggest donor over the incident. The frequently analyzed tape shows Musk addressing the crowd at the Capital One Arena in Washington on January 20. Before stepping away from the podium at the end of his speech, he placed his right hand over his heart and then extended his arm outward with his palm facing downward and his fingers clutched together. 'My heart goes out to you,' he told the crowd celebrating Trump's electoral win over Kamala Harris. 'It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.' That footage has since been studied like the Zapruder film or Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal, with liberals and conservatives giving alternate takes in what's become a political Rorschach test. Olbermann's latest comment on the subject came in response to self-described 'former liberal' Brandon Straka, who contrasted Musk's gesture with a similar motion from Democratic New Jersey Senator Corey Booker. On the left: Senator Corey Booker giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute. On the right: Elon Musk personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media. Same gesture. Different political party. Funny how that works. — Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) June 1, 2025 The proof, Olbermann claims, is that Musk's fingers were closed when he extended his arm 'On the left: Senator Corey Booker giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute,' Straka began sarcastically. 'On the right: Elon Musk personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media. 'Same gesture. Different political party,' Straka continued, dropping the sarcasm. 'Funny how that works.' Olbermann, the 66-year-old ESPN icon who became a fierce critic of conservatives on MSNBC, disagreed in his own irascible way. In fact, Olbermann thinks he has the clue that proves Musk was indeed doing what some refer to as the 'Roman salute.' 'Musk's hand is closed, fingers together,' Olbermann responded on X. 'That's a salute. Booker's fingers are opened. That's a wave goodbye.' Olbermann then decided to get personal by adding: 'Your brain is devoid of cells. That's an IQ of 27.' And the exchange only went downhill from there as Straka joked about Olbermann having intellectual disabilities. Olbermann was quickly corrected by angry Musk defenders. 'Maybe, and hear me out, neither are Nazi salutes and that's the entire point,' one added. 'Elon Musk's fingers aren't closed or together, and thumb is bent so if that's your argument, try another,' read a different response. At least one person agreed with Olbermann: 'Maybe the difference is one actually looked like a Nazi salute and came from someone who boosts white nationalists weekly.' Musk has faced other accusations of antisemitism, such as in November of 2023, when he reposted a claim on X that Jewish communities hated whites. 'Jewish communities (sic) have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,' read a post from a self-described cyber security expert going by 'Eric.' Musk responded: 'You have said the actual truth.' The South African-born billionaire has also been criticized for allegedly boosting the visibility of antisemitic accounts on X.
Forbes
3 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Elon Musk Alleges Hypocrisy, Saying Cory Booker's Wave Looked Like Nazi Salute
Elon Musk—who drew criticism earlier this year after making a gesture many alleged was a Nazi salute—accused Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., of doing a Nazi salute on stage at an event for California Democrats on Saturday night, though the senator's team insisted Sunday the gesture was clearly a wave. Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval ... More Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. Booker was speaking at the California Democratic Convention Saturday night, and ended his speech by placing his hand on his heart and extending his arm toward the crowd in a motion Musk and others have said resembled the Nazi salute—alleging hypocrisy after Musk was criticized earlier this year. 'Cory Booker was obviously just waving to the crowd. Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk's gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda,' Booker spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers told Forbes in a statement. Musk began sharing posts about Booker's gesture around 9 p.m. EDT Saturday night, and he quote-tweeted a post about the incident and lack of media coverage with the caption, 'Legacy media lies.' He continued to tweet about it Sunday morning, when he shared a post showing Democratic leaders former President Barack Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mass. and former presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton with their arms extended and the caption, 'We know where Cory Booker learned his Nazi salute from'—and Musk added a '🤨' emoji. Musk drew criticism in January after he pounded his fist to his chest and extended his right arm into the air twice while speaking at an event for President Donald Trump's inauguration. International leaders including Spain's minister of labor and social economy and Germany's health minister criticized the gesture, as did a number of Democrats. Musk didn't explain why he made the motion, but said in posts on X at the time that Democrats were playing 'dirty tricks' and that 'the 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired.' One month after Musk's incident, another Trump ally, Steve Bannon—who was feuding with Musk at the time over his close relationship with Trump—was accused of giving a Nazi salute when he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Bannon denied making the salute and told the Daily Mail it 'was a wave to the crowd.' After Musk was accused of making the motion, the Anti-Defamation League—a nonprofit working against antisemitism—said in a statement that Musk seemed to make 'an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,' and urged people on 'all sides (to) give one another a bit of grace.' The ADL had not publicly commented on the allegations against Booker, though Forbes has reached out for comment. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., also took to X Sunday morning to criticize Booker. In her post she said Democrats 'were hyperventilating about this false smear of Elon,' when he was accused of doing the salute in January and added 'the mainstream media is totally corrupt.' Stefanik also continued: 'The American people are smart. Neither Elon Musk or @CoryBooker are giving the Nazi salute. Americans see thru this obvious and destructive double standard by the totally broken media and Democrat Party.' Musk responded to the post with, 'they are such hypocrites,' presumably referring to the media. 9. That's how many times Musk had tweeted or shared posts about Booker's gesture as of 12:55 p.m. EDT on Sunday. Elon Musk 'Salute' Condemned By European Leaders, Democrats (Forbes) French Far-Right Leader Cancels CPAC Speech After Steve Bannon's Salute Draws Nazi Comparisons (Forbes)
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Booker slammed for alleged 'Nazi salute' to Cali Dems just months after Musk was dragged for same gesture
Conservatives are mocking Sen. Cory Booker for delivering an alleged "Nazi salute" to California Democrats, while quipping the New Jersey Democrat won't get the same scrutiny Elon Musk did when he raised his arm to MAGA supporters in January. "NEW: Democrat Senator Cory Booker appears to do a 'Nazi' salute in front of a large crowd of Democrats. I'm looking forward to the wall to wall coverage from the 'honest' and totally not biased media," Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg posted to X, accompanied by footage of the gesture. "If Elon Musk is a Nazi for doing this gesture… Cory Booker is one too. Sorry, I don't make the rules," X user Angela Belcamino posted. Booker traveled to the Los Angeles area on Saturday, where he addressed the California Democratic Party's convention, calling on supporters to "stand up" to President Donald Trump and repeating a handful of messages he delivered during his marathon 25-hour speech on the Senate floor in March railing against Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency, and the Trump administration for its alleged attacks on "Americans' safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy." "Real change does not come from Washington. It comes from communities. It comes from the streets. It comes from the people who's standing up and have shown over and over again – against the powerful, against the elected, against the rich – that the power of the people is greater than the people in power," Booker said on Saturday to the California Democrats. He capped off his roughly 15-minute speech with a gesture where he placed his right hand on his chest before raising it to the crowd. Musk delivered a similar gesture in January on Trump's inauguration day, which yielded dozens of headlines from mainstream media outlets that Musk delivered a "Nazi-style salute" to Trump supporters. Liberals and critics frequently attacked Trump while he was on the campaign trail by calling him a Hitler-esque fascist, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who compared Trump to the German dictator during a town hall in October. Conservatives and others pounced on the footage of Booker, asking if media outlets would accuse the New Jersey Democrat of gesturing like a Nazi. "Will Corey Booker be plastered all over msm with headlines claiming he's a 'Nazi'?" The Post Millennial's X account posted, accompanied by footage of the gesture. "Here's a list of all the news networks who have not covered Cory Booker's salute: – NYTimes – CNN – Washington Post – MSNBC – NPR – USA Today – Reuters – Axios – ABC News Every single one of them wrote stories on Elon Musk's 'salute'… …do you get it yet?" former government scientist Matt van Swol posted to X. Musk responded to van Swol: "Legacy media is one big psy op." "Cory Booker is a straight up NAZI! WOW," conservative X user Gunther Eagleman posted. Fox News Digital reached out to Booker's office for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. Booker did not appear to join fellow liberals in comparing Musk's wave to a Nazi salute in January, although he has previously slammed Trump as "worse than a racist," accusing him in 2019 of using "racist tropes" as "a weapon to divide our nation against itself."
