"WHY WOULD HE DO THAT SALUTE?"— Internet reacts as Elon Musk's alleged salute at Donald Trump's inauguration sparks backlash

Billionaire Elon Musk sparked online backlash following President Donald Trump's inauguration event on Monday, January 20, at the Capital One Arena after he gave Trump an alleged "odd-looking" salute during his speech at the event. As seen in videos that circulated on social media, the SpaceX, X, and Tesla owner pounded on his chest before throwing out his right arm in an angular motion into the air.

CNN anchors picked up on Musk's salute, with anchor Erin Burnett saying during the coverage, "By far the biggest reception of the day. You saw him come out with that odd-looking salute."

Netizens also picked up on Musk's alleged salute with videos of it making rounds online, sparking controversy.

"BRO WHY WOULD HE DO THAT SALUTE," a user on X commented.

As netizens try to uncover what Musk's salute was all about, some online media users thought it was simply one of his "amusing mannerisms."

"That wasn't a Nazi salute - just one of his many wacky and amusing mannerisms," a user on X pointed out.

"He said "my heart goes out to you" and then motioned from his heart towards the crowd," an X user commented.

However, some people online downright accused Elon Musk of giving a "Nazi salute", expressing both outrage and disappointment.

"Elon Musk just did a f**king Sieg Heil NAZI SALUTE to the MAGA crowd at the Capitol One Arena!!! And CNN IS F**KING TRYING TO NORMALIZE & EXPLAIN IT AWAY! We are so f**ked," a user on X wrote.

"THERE'S NO WAY ELON MUSK DID A SIEG HEIL AT TRUMP'S INAUGURATION. A F**KING NAZI SALUTE AS CLEAR AS DAY. WHAT IS HAPPENING," another X user wrote.

"I can't believe that @elonmusk did yhe zieg heil salute as a way of thanking Trump supporters for helping Trump win... what the actual f*ck. The f**king Nazi salute. I used to overlook Musk's bs for the sake of space exploration but this, I can no longer overlook the bulls**t," an X user commented.

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Elon Musk celebrated Trump's victory and shared his Mars ambitions at Capitol One Arena amid salute controversy

Elon Musk's speech at Capital One Arena on Monday, January 20, to celebrate President Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office was overshadowed by his controversial gesture that some netizens alleged to be a Nazi salute. However, before his salute went viral, the tech mogul excitedly addressed the crowd about the election outcome. He said:

"This is what victory feels like. And this was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization. Elections come and go. Some elections are, you know, important, some are not. But this one, this one, this one really matters."

Musk, who is now the new Department of Governmental Efficiency boss, also thanked the crowd "for making it happen." He also took the time to discuss space exploration during his speech. He addressed the crowd:

"We're going to take DOGE to Mars! I mean, can you imagine how awesome it would be to have American astronauts take American flags to another planet for the first time?... I'm going to work my a** off for you guys."

The Tesla CEO has posted his speech from the DC Arena event on X, although he hasn't commented on the controversy of his salute as of yet.