Paulo Costa shares four-word reaction to Elon Musk's controversial salute at Donald Trump's inauguration 

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk raised more than a handful of eyebrows with his salute at Donald Trump's inauguration speech. After delivering a comically entertaining speech, the co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made a gesture that resembled the 'Sieg Heil' salute of the Nazi Party.

Unsurprisingly, the controversial tech mogul's stage antics sparked an avalanche of reactions from the internet, with UFC middleweight superstar Paulo Costa posting on X:

"Haha here we go 😂💪"

Elon Musk hasn't released an official statement explaining his gesture at the presidential inauguration. However, some have defended him by stating that he was merely trying to express that his heart goes out to all the Republican supporters in attendance.

---

Examining Elon Musk's salute and speech at the 2025 presidential inauguration ceremony

Elon Musk entered the stage with more energy than a fully-charged Tesla roadster, hyping up the crowd before getting on the mic. The crowd was eating it up as the entire Capital One Arena erupted in a unified roar.

Once he finally got to settle down, Musk said:

"This, this is what victory feels like, yeah! And this was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization. You know, there are elections that come and go, some elections are, you know, important - some are not. But this one, this one [laughs] - this one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you."

It was at this point that Musk put his right hand on the left part of his chest and quickly shot it in the air. He did it twice - one towards the audience and another to the Republican party behind him.

He then followed it up with these words:

"My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you."

Watch Elon Musk's full speech here: