"Defund PBS" trends after PBS News tweets about Elon Musk's salute being "similar to the 'Sieg Heil' used by Nazis"

PBS News recently came under fire on social media for likening Elon Musk's gesture during President Donald Trump's inauguration to the Nazi salute used by Adolf Hitler and his followers. The tech billionaire, an instrumental financial backer during Trump's presidential campaign, was invited to speak at the inauguration on January 20, 2025.

During his speech, Musk thanked Trump's supporters for "making it happen," adding that his heart "goes out" to them. Following this line, he placed his right hand over his left chest and raised it into the air. He repeated the same gesture for the crowd seated behind him.

As the clip made its way on social media, many condemned the Tesla owner for the action, comparing it to the Nazi salute. PBS News also took to X to criticize Elon Musk for the alleged "fascist salute," writing:

"Billionaire Elon Musk gave what appeared to be a fascist salute Monday while making a speech at the post-inauguration celebration for President Donald Trump at the Capital One Arena. “Some elections are important, some are not. But this one, this one really mattered and I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Musk said before putting his hand on his chest and then raising it in a salute that appeared similar to the “Sieg Heil” used by Nazis at their victory rallies."

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"Defund PBS" trends after Elon Musk's speech

Elon Musk's speech at Donald Trump's inauguration was marred with controversies after several people accused the tech billionaire of using the Nazi salute. PBS News was among the many that condemned Musk's alleged Nazi salute on X, with the post amassing over 17.8 million views at the time of this article.

Many netizens took offense at PBS News' post, causing "Defund PBS" to trend on X. One person claimed the news network falsely accused Musk of doing the Nazi salute, clarifying his gesture was indicative of the line, “My heart goes out to you," from his speech.

"PBS is falsely suggesting that Elon Musk did a N*zi salute. He clearly says, “My heart goes out to you.” Defund PBS!" one user wrote.

Many agreed with this sentiment, claiming they did not want their tax money to fund "lies and propaganda." According to The Washington Post, PBS News is partially funded by the government.

"You don't hate the media enough. They are purposely misrepresenting what happened. It's clear in the video It was an awkward gesture of an autistic person, clarified by the statement after. I hope PBS likes being defunded," one user wrote.

"Defund PBS, they are just a propaganda network now funded with public money," someone else added.

"Defund @PBS @NewsHour. We should not be forced to fund this left wing propaganda. He was gesturing his heart to the crowd," another user wrote.

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What did Elon Musk say about the PBS post?

While many people supported Elon Musk on social media after he was accused of using the Nazi salute, the tech billionaire also took to X to clarify the situation. He dubbed the criticism towards him as "dirty tricks," writing:

"Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."

In his speech at President Trump's inauguration, Elon Musk said Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election was "no ordinary victory." He added that the 2024 election "really mattered," calling Trump's second term the "Golden Age."

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In other news, Donald Trump became the 47th President of the US on January 20, 2025, following his inauguration ceremony. On his first day, the president signed several executive orders, including one to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.