Elon Musk called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “creepy” and suggested a lawsuit was coming after the former vice presidential candidate said Musk performed a Nazi salute following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Elon Musk says he might sue Gov. Tim Walz over accusations he gave a Nazi salute
Musk clapped his right hand onto his heart and then thrusted his arm straight outward at an angle with his palm facing down.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 30, 2025 at 3:17AM
The Tesla CEO and world’s richest man has emerged as a close Trump adviser.
Musk’s gesture on Jan. 20 – in which he clapped his right hand onto his heart and then thrusted his arm straight outward at an angle with his palm facing down – has drawn outrage for its similarities to a salute used widely in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.
He performed the gesture twice and said, “My heart goes out to you.”
Walz, who ran alongside Kamala Harris against Trump last year, appeared on MSNBC on Tuesday and said, “We spent three days debating, having them trying to debate that President Musk gave a Nazi salute. Of course he did.”
The clip has made the rounds on X, which is owned by Musk. On X, Musk replied to a posting of the clip that suggested he should sue Walz.
“I think I will,” Musk wrote.
The nature of the salute has been a matter of some debate. The Anti-Defamation League called it “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” while still adding that, “we appreciate that people are on edge.”
However, ring-wing extremists have celebrated Musk’s gesture, the Associated Press reported.
Musk has not explained his intention behind the act. Shortly after the incident, he posted on X, “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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