What did Jon Voight say about Elon Musk? Actor calls the media "a disgrace" for comparing Tesla owner to "Hitler" over salute controversy

On Friday, January 24, Midnight Cowboy actor Jon Voight took a stand for Elon Musk in an X video after the Tesla CEO gave what appeared to be a fascist-style salute during his speech on Monday, January 20.

Voight, 86, started by expressing his pride and happiness about the victory of Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential elections. Then, explaining that he was making the video to talk about Elon Musk, Jon called him a man of "truth," "dignity," and "honor," who has done a lot for the people of the country.

The Deliverance actor continued:

"He's a kind soul, a gentle giant, and he loves America. And I want to tell you that the media is a disgrace. They're disgusting. They turn things around. They try to destroy and cause havoc. This, my friends, is a dangerous compare to say Elon Musk is Hitler."

Voight then claimed that Musk was being targeted unjustly over false propaganda. In his opinion, the leftists who tried to "destroy President Trump" also want to sabotage Musk's reputation. However, Jon believed such a thing wouldn't happen because of Elon's "goodwill for the Jews" and for the US being stronger "than this evil."

The tweet has since received over 600K views and 15K likes, with many netizens sharing the Megalopolis actor's sentiments.

"Mr. Voight: your films have captivated millions; this short talk speaks for millions. Thank you for both!" commented an X user.

"I am Polish and I live in Poland, which was completely destroyed by Hitler during the Second World War. Someone who compares Elon to Hitler must be a complete idiot," posted another.

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Elon Musk's salute at Trump's inauguration rally appeared to be fascist

Jon Voight's video supporting Elon Musk comes after the entrepreneur was criticized over social media platforms for his salute during Trump's inaugural rally on Monday, January 20.

In his address during the ceremony, Musk said on stage, "I just want to say thank you for making it happen," following it with a salute. The 53-year-old first slapped his right hand on his chest with the fingers splayed, then shot his arm out in an upward diagonal direction, with the fingers together and palm facing down.

As the crowd roared at Elon Musk, he turned around and saluted again. As per The Guardian on January 20, he then added:

"My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured. Thanks to you. We’re gonna have safe cities, finally safe cities. Secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff. And we’re gonna take ‘Doge’ to Mars."

Musk's speech, which came prior to Donald Trump's appearance at the ceremony, was met with shock on social media.

As per The Guardian, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who is a history professor at New York University, said about the salute:

"Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too."

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also addressed Musk's salute on social media later on Monday, claiming that it wasn't a "Nazi salute." The ADL's statement read:

"This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety. It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge."

The ADL further added that in light of the incident, people of all sides should act with grace and give the SpaceX owner "the benefit of the doubt." Meanwhile, Musk hasn't addressed the controversy directly yet.

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Besides Elon Musk, other tech leaders who were present at Donald Trump's inaugural rally included Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Evan Spiegel, Sundar Pichai, and Gianni Infantino.