Elon Musk’s now-infamous gesture at Donald Trump’s inauguration can only be honestly understood as a Hitler salute. While his defenders attempt to reframe the moment as either a poorly executed gesture of victory or an awkward expression of affection for the public, such explanations only makes sense if one cavalierly disregards Musk’s deepening entanglement with far-right parties and figures across multiple continents.
These alliances include Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a party with deep neo-Nazi ties; Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia, which traces its ideological lineage directly to Mussolini’s fascist movement; and the most hard-right elements of the UK’s political landscape. Most significantly, Musk is now a member of Donald Trump government and is capable of amplifying his rhetoric, promoting his ideological brand while positioning himself as a gatekeeper of the global digital public square.
It is no longer posible to take Musk merely as a eccentric billionaire with vast influence over technological and economic infrastructure. Must is now the Trumpian “minister of public enlightenment and propaganda,” a title borrowed from the darkest chapters of history. His control over global communications platforms, from Twitter (now X) to Starlink, gives him an unparalleled ability to shape narratives, silence dissent, and embolden reactionary forces.
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