Elon Musk Pushes Back on Claims He Did Nazi Salute After His One-Armed Gesture Goes Viral

Elon Musk’s one-armed salute before a cheering crowd during President Donald Trump’sinauguration festivitieshas ignited a swirl of debate about the true meaning of the tech billionaire’s gesture. Musk himself shrugged off the scrutiny. Ina post on X, he contended that Democrats were politically motivated in fueling the discussion. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he wrote. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.” (He added a sleeping emoji.) Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Elon Musk Says 'I Am Become Meme' After Source Said 'He’d Rather Tweet Memes' Than Parent

Elon Musk with a chainsaw at CPAC on Feb. 20, 2025.Photo:Andrew Harnik/Getty Andrew Harnik/Getty Elon Muskis leaning into being a meme amid hiscontroversial behavior inandout of the White House. The 53-year-old billionaire — who is also the head ofPresident Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — made an appearance during the first day of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Feb. 20, where he proclaimed himself a meme and wielded a chainsaw.

Elon Musk Tells Government Employees to List 5 Things They Did Last Week or Be Fired to See Who Has 'Two Working Neurons'

Elon Musk arrives for the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20 in Washington, DC.Photo:Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Elon Muskis keeping a close eye on the federal workforce. On Saturday, Feb. 22, the senior adviser to PresidentDonald Trumpand head of the Department of Government Efficiency took to X to announce a move concerning federal government employees. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” he posted.

Elon Musk's Estranged Daughter Speaks Out After Learning He Welcomed Baby No. 14

Elon Musk’s daughter is reacting to the news of her new half-sibling. After the Tesla founder, 53, confirmed that hewelcomed his 14th child, his fourth withShivon Zilis, on social media, his estranged daughterVivian Wilson, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Canadian authorJustine Wilson, shared a TikTok of her reacting to the news. In the post, the 21-year-old stitched one of herprevious videos, which poked fun at the way she found out about Musk’s other children, with a close-up video of her eye.

Elon Musk Loses Over $100 Billion amid Tesla Stock Market Woes

Elon Musk at the opening of a Tesla plant in March 2022 in Germany.Photo:Christian Marquardt - Pool/Getty Christian Marquardt - Pool/Getty It’s a noticeable shift for the company, which saw stock prices explode following the presidential election, according toForbes. (The price has since gone up 8.35% as of Wednesday, March 12.) Experts are also weighing on the impact Musk’s newfound political entanglements has had on Tesla. In addition to serving as CEO of the company, Musk, 53, currently heads the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to modernize “federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” according to the President’sexecutive order.