Elon Musk Makes Nazi Pun to Joe Rogan, Saying He Did ‘Not See’ Anything Wrong with His Controversial Gesture

Mar. 15, 2025

Elon Musk at the Viva Tech fair in Paris in 2023.Photo:Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty

Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty

Elon Muskis responding to the backlash that came after he performed a controversial hand gesture at PresidentDonald Trump’sinauguration celebrationearlier this year.“I did not see it coming,” the tech billionaire, 53, said, putting “not” and “see” together to sound like “Nazi," of the reaction to the move he made, which was likened to a Nazi salute, in an interview onThe Joe Rogan Experiencepodcastreleased on Friday, Feb. 28.Musk added that “people will Goebbels anything down,” referring to German Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. (He previously made the same statement responding to the backlash in a post onXlast month.)HostJoe Roganthen said in Musk’s defense, “There’s so many examples of people saying ‘my heart goes out to’ while motioning a similar gesture," adding, “You did it with a little enthusiasm that probably be recommended with hindsight.”“It was obviously meant in the most positive spirit possible,” Musk responded.Musk, who is currently serving as the head of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), laterposteda clip from the interview on X, in which he stated, “Hopefully people will realize I’m not a Nazi."“You can’t escape this bull—-” he continued, further stating, “What is bad about Nazis, it wasn’t their fashion sense or their mannerisms, it was the war and genocide is the bad part. Not the mannerisms and their dress code.”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.Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via GettyMusk made the controversial gesture during Trump’s inauguration celebration, when he addressed a crowd of his supporters, saying, “This one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.”The CEO then placed his hand over his heart quickly, before giving a salute at an upward angle, with emphasis. He turned to attendees sitting behind him and repeated the gesture.“My heart goes out to you,” continued Musk as he placed his hand back over his chest.The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish rights group, later spoke out against the controversial gesture, writing onX, “Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety."“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,” the group added. “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. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”Musk previously pushed back at the controversy at the time in apost on X. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote, adding a sleeping emoji.

Elon Muskis responding to the backlash that came after he performed a controversial hand gesture at PresidentDonald Trump’sinauguration celebrationearlier this year.

“I did not see it coming,” the tech billionaire, 53, said, putting “not” and “see” together to sound like “Nazi,” of the reaction to the move he made, which was likened to a Nazi salute, in an interview onThe Joe Rogan Experiencepodcastreleased on Friday, Feb. 28.

Musk added that “people will Goebbels anything down,” referring to German Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. (He previously made the same statement responding to the backlash in a post onXlast month.)

HostJoe Roganthen said in Musk’s defense, “There’s so many examples of people saying ‘my heart goes out to’ while motioning a similar gesture,” adding, “You did it with a little enthusiasm that probably be recommended with hindsight.”

“It was obviously meant in the most positive spirit possible,” Musk responded.

Musk, who is currently serving as the head of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), laterposteda clip from the interview on X, in which he stated, “Hopefully people will realize I’m not a Nazi.”

“You can’t escape this bull—-” he continued, further stating, “What is bad about Nazis, it wasn’t their fashion sense or their mannerisms, it was the war and genocide is the bad part. Not the mannerisms and their dress code.”

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.

Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Musk made the controversial gesture during Trump’s inauguration celebration, when he addressed a crowd of his supporters, saying, “This one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.”

The CEO then placed his hand over his heart quickly, before giving a salute at an upward angle, with emphasis. He turned to attendees sitting behind him and repeated the gesture.

“My heart goes out to you,” continued Musk as he placed his hand back over his chest.

The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish rights group, later spoke out against the controversial gesture, writing onX, “Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.”

“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,” the group added. “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. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”

Musk previously pushed back at the controversy at the time in apost on X. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote, adding a sleeping emoji.

source: people.com