Vivian Wilson, the daughter of billionaire Elon Musk, criticized her father in a post on social media calling him out over a Nazi-like salute he gave—not once but twice—to the crowd at a Trump rally during Monday's inauguration festivities.
Following President Donald Trump's swearing-in, Musk spoke at a rally held at D.C.'s Capital One Arena and said:
"Elections come and go, some elections are important, some are not, but this one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.”
At this moment, Musk placed his right hand on his chest before extending it outward with his palm facing down and fingers pressed together—a gesture historically known as the “Roman salute.”
This gesture, co-opted by fascist movements in the early 20th century, is most infamously associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany. It remains a symbol tied to the far-right, particularly among fascist groups in Italy.
After making the gesture initially, Musk turned to face the crowd seated behind him and, with his back to the camera, repeated the same action before saying:
"My heart goes out to you."
You can see the moment in the video below.
Wilson, who legally changed her name upon turning 18 to distance herself from her father, did not explicitly name Musk but strongly suggested she was addressing the incident in posts on BlueSky and Threads:
"I'm just gonna say let's call a spade a f**king spade. Especially if there were two spades done in succession based on the reaction of the first spade."
You can see her post below.
@thevivllainous.bsky.social
She later followed up with a tongue-in-cheek posts in which she joked she had "plausible deniability" on her side because she's "talking about card suits"—not her father at all:
"I don't know why y'all are reacting with such vigor, I'm clearly only talking about card suits. I mean I have ADHD and this was CLEARLY just an accident that people happened to interpret to mean something other than just card suits."
"After all, there's no proof I'm not just talking about card suits. Y'know... people assuming that I'm not just talking about card suits just goes to show how dishonest people/the media can be."
She later followed up with:
"For those who can read between the lines, do ya'll understand how f**king easy this is to do? Plausible deniability honey. Just saying."
You can see her messages below.
@vivillainous/Threads
But many saw what she was putting down—and criticized Musk and his enablers more directly.
@brandontour/Threads
Musk later mocked his critics, insisting they'd blown the salute out of proportion and "need better dirty tricks." He claimed "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Though Musk might claim otherwise, neo-Nazis celebrated the salute. For example, Telegram channels filled with neo-Nazis also blew up, with Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the American neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, saying:
“I don’t care if this was a mistake, I’m going to enjoy the tears over it."
Similarly, Evan Kilgore, a right-wing political commentator and Holocaust denier, called Musk's action "incredible" and acknowledged Musk had done a "Heil Hitler" in front of the crowd at the inauguration rally.
Those who've defended and downplayed Musk's action are conveniently overlooking the fact that Musk was criticized for his ties to antisemitic and white supremacist groups earlier this month after he spoke with Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency has placed AfD under surveillance, citing concerns over suspected right-wing extremism—a claim the party denies. The AfD, known for its hardline positions against immigration and Islam, has faced accusations of members using Nazi slogans in speeches and minimizing the significance of the Holocaust.
Musk also courted controversy in 2023 when he appeared at the far-right Atreju Festival in Rome. The event was hosted by the Brothers of Italy party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was present at Trump's inauguration.
Musk used his appearance as an opportunity to push replacement theory, a conspiracy theory that claims white European populations and their descendants are being demographically and culturally replaced with non-Europeans.
@thetnholler/Bluesky
@wensilver/Bluesky