“Elon Musk Royal Society crop” by Debbie Rowe is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Elon Musk, the unofficial head of the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created quite the controversy on January 20, 2025 with what appeared to be a Nazi salute at President Trump’s inauguration. Despite the argument that it was a “Roman salute” or “a gesture of kindness,” Musk’s ties to Nazism don’t end with the salute.

The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) Party is a far-right and right-wing party. It opposes immigration, especially Muslim immigration. 

The AfD’s leader Björn Höcke has been known to have used “Nazi slogans” in the past and has been found guilty of them. The supposed slogan that he used was “Everything for Germany,” which was used on two separate occasions: once during a campaign speech in Merseburg in May 2021, and then again at a rally in Gera in December 2023.

According to the BBC, some of the AfD party has been known to have anti-Semitic beliefs.

On January 25, 2025, Musk was seen on a screen at an AfD rally telling Germans to move “past guilt.” However, this isn’t the first time Musk has been involved with them. According to Firstpost, Musk expressed his support for the party’s economic and cultural policies, which he believed aligned with his vision for Germany’s future.

Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), has grown exponentially right-wing since his takeover. Despite X’s Violent Content Policy, Nazi hate speech has gotten out of hand in recent years. According to NBC, thousands of accounts have promoted Nazi talking points, some even being paid accounts that have boosted reach due to their “Verified” status. 

Many popular accounts on X, according to The Guardian, are causing extremist beliefs to become mainstream. The platform has continued to boost these accounts with a ‘Verified’ status. Meanwhile, according to Forbes, Musk suspended the accounts of journalists who wrote negatively about him. Additionally, Jewish leaders accused him of reinstating accounts banned for antisemitism. 

Elon Musk made controversial tweets about the salute he gave during President Trump’s inauguration speech, dismissing criticism by calling it “dirty tricks” and saying the “everyone is Hitler attack was sooo tired.” He responded to a post describing the salute as a “hoax” by saying, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks.” Musk turned the controversy over his gesture into a pun-filled joke about Nazis. On X, he posted, “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations!” and “Bet you did nazi that coming.”

Musk has also faced criticism for not immediately taking down Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks. While Musk eventually deactivated Kanye’s account on X due to the offensive content, some felt that his actions were delayed given the severity of the comments. 

Some other ways Musk has faced backlash: According to Fortune.com, Tesla sales have dropped 60% in Germany after his alleged Nazi salute. In addition, Twitter has reportedly lost 32 million users since Musk’s “takeover,” according to Searchlogistics.com. 

No matter your opinion on Elon Musk, it’s undeniable that his ties to Nazism and far-right hate speech are prevalent. Now, with him heading the Department of Government Efficiency, it has come into question what his intentions truly are.