Only hours after Donald Trump began his second term, Elon Musk made the administrations values crystal clear with two unequivocal Nazi salutes while speaking at an inauguration rally. Elections come and go; some elections are important, some are not, but this one really mattered, Musk told the crowd at DCs Capital One Arena. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you. Related Elon Musk is making millions from verified neo-Nazi X accounts and hes helping boost their hateful messages as well. At that, he slapped his right hand across his chest, grunted, and threw his arm straight in the air with his palm down a clear Nazi salute. He then turned to the crowd behind him and did it again. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Elon Musk goes masks off and does a Nazi salute.[image or embed] Anonymous (@youranoncentral.bsky.social) January 20, 2025 at 2:39 PMThe moment has enlivened neo-Nazis across the country who believe Musk was signaling to them. WE ARE F**KING BACK, wrote an administrator of a Nazi meme page on Telegram beside a clip of Musk doing the salute, according to Wired.Christopher Pohlhaus, who leads the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe wrote on his Telegram channel of the moment: I dont care if this was a mistake, Im going to enjoy the tears over it. Holocaust denier and right-wing commentator Evan Kilgore called the moment incredible and declared, We are so back. In response to the salute, Democratic Organizer Gabrien Gregory wrote on Bluesky, They arent hiding it anymore. We need to be ready for the political fight of our lives. Elon Musk just gave a very clear Nazi salute at the Inaugural parade. They arent hiding it anymore. We need to be ready for the political fight of our lives.[image or embed] Gabrien Gregory (@gabriengregory.bsky.social) January 20, 2025 at 2:04 PMDespite all of this, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) claimed Musk merely made an awkward gesture and urged people to give him a bit of grace. The organization, which is supposed to combat antisemitism and other forms of bigotry, wrote on X that we are in a delicate moment. Its a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety, the post continued. 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. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Lets hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.But folks were not having it. Yall are so completely full of sh*t on this, and Im embarrassed for you. Truly, trans activist Charlotte Clymer commented. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also slammed the organization. Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity, she wrote. People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all.Musk has a history of supporting far-right extremists and specifically neo-Nazis. Last year, his company X gave Premium blue checkmarks to at least 150 paid neo-Nazi subscribers. These subscriber accounts regularly violated Xs policies against hate speech by reposting hateful views, swastika imagery, Holocaust denialism, speeches from Adolf Hitler, and antisemitic content praising violence against Jews and other groups.Several of the posts received millions of views in just seven days in March 2024, including one repeating the debunked claim that 6 million Jews didnt die in the Holocaust. The subscribers pay $8 a month and benefit from prioritization that helps make their posts visible to others. Thousands of unverified non-subscribers repost this content, spreading and normalizing neo-Nazi views.Since Musk bought X for $44 billion in October 2022, hate content has proliferated on the site. Musk himself reinstated numerous right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+, and neo-Nazi accounts that had previously been banned from the platform. He has also repeatedtransphobic talking pointsand neo-Nazi conspiracy theories likethe Great Replacement Theory,causingbig-name advertisers to flee. Thesites ad revenue has decreased by 50%and itmay lose another $75 millionas advertisers stay away. Musk has responded bytelling advertisers to f**k offandsuing watchdog organizationsthat have reported on Xs hate speech problem.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.