Let me say it in plain English.
Elon Musk gave a Sieg Heil salute. Period.
He can deny that he did so until the end of time.
But I do not give Musk the benefit of the doubt.
This is after all a man who champions Germany's Afd, a neo-Nazi party in everything but name.
This is a man who praised Tucker Carlson's interview with Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs during which the pair accused Israel of controlling U.S. foreign policy.
This is a man who praised Tucker Carlson's interview with Holocaust denier Darryl Cooper who claims Hitler was not responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews and that there was no final solution.
This is a man who endorsed the white supremacist claim that Jews spread hatred against whites.
Given Musk's history, it was only a matter of time before he raised and extended his right arm.
But the fact remains is that Elon Musk is the world's richest man and is using his wealth at the service of President Trump.
Because of this those who ought to speak out are denying what is right in front of them. The ADL clamed Musk was merely displaying "an awkward gesture". Mind you this is the same ADL which Musk threatened to sue after they called out his anti-Semitism in 2023.
An emboldened Musk then took to X to make a series of Nazi inspired puns:
Don't say Hess to Nazi accusations!
Some people will Goebbels anything down!
Stop Göring your enemies!
His pronouns would've been He/Himmler!
Bet you did nazi that coming.
Only then did the ADL see fit to condemn Musk.
But the damage has been done to the ADL. When civic organizations dedicated to combatting anti-Semitism refuse to criticize someone for their anti-Semitic acgts because they have the capacity to sue them it leads to the decay of civil society.
Among those who criticized the ADL was New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who stated on X:
Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity.
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.
This might have been a good riposte except for the fact that AOC is not exactly a reliable source of information, nor does she have any standing to tell us what is and isn't anti-Semitism. Aside from engaging in "Jewsplaining", I would prefer not to take lectures from someone who thinks Israel's beeper operation against Hezbollah last year violated international humanitarian law while having nothing to say of Hezbollah's crimes against humanity against Israelis, against the people of Lebanon and 241 U.S. Marines.
Nevertheless, I am dismayed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw fit to defend Musk claiming he had been "falsely smeared." Netanyahu stated:
Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Yes, Musk did visit Israel but only after he took heat for his anti-Semitic remarks and support for the anti-Semitic remarks of others. It reminds me of when celebrities who are caught saying racial epithets offering to make amends with Reverend Al Sharpton.
Let us also not forget that Musk is quite friendly with the Iranian regime. You know the one that's been building a nuclear weapon to destroy Israel.
Perhaps what is most dismaying is how a CBS affiliate in Milwaukee fired their meteorologist after she saw fit to criticize Musk's Nazi salute. This is yet another erosion of civil society. Apparently, Elon Musk is now above criticism for his public behavior. Criticize Elon Musk and risk losing your job. This is so fundamentally unAmerican.
But if this is the atmosphere in which we know find ourselves we can expect more Nazi salutes from Musk and MAGA World who may adopt them as their own. Well, everything else has been normalized. I suppose it was only a matter of time before it was Nazism's turn for legitimacy.
That is Elon Musk's legacy.
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