The Nerd Reich rises
On January 20, the wealthiest man in the world stood behind the Seal of the President of the United States and gave the straight-arm fascist salute, commonly known as the Nazi salute.
Some call it the “Roman salute,” but the Nazis called it the “Hitler salute,” and most of us know it as the Nazi salute or the Sieg Heil salute. The unmistakable gesture is illegal in Austria and Germany.
Many press outlets twisted themselves into pretzels to describe Elon Musk’s actions without directly saying what he had done.
“Elon Musk’s use of hand gestures that critics are comparing to a fascist salute is quickly taking on a life of its own on social media,” reported Politico. “Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture,” read the headline in the New York Times. “Right-wing extremists, white nationalists, and neo-Nazis are celebrating an alarming gesture made by the world’s richest man,” reported Rolling Stone. "Musk gives exuberant speech at inauguration," said the Washington Post.
Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York put it differently.
“I never imagined we would see the day when what appears to be a heil Hitler salute would be made behind the Presidential seal,” he wrote on X. “This abhorrent gesture has no place in our society and belongs in the darkest chapters of human history.”
“It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too,” said Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on fascism.
Historian of fascism here. That was a Nazi salute - and a very belligerent one too https://t.co/PB9sFCVJGA
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) January 20, 2025
In a most unfortunate case of historical amnesia, the Anti-Defamation League rushed to Musk’s defense: “It seems that [Musk] made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
The ADL’s despicable dissembling earned a sharp response from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity,” she wrote. “People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all.”
Musk mocked his critics but did not exactly deny the charges.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he wrote on X. “The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired.”
It was an ugly start to Donald Trump’s second term. I won’t pretend to be surprised, but I am nonetheless shocked. What most drives home the meaning of Musk’s salute is the look on his face when he does it. One moment, he is smiling and thanking the crowd. The next moment, the corners of his mouth twist downward in a rage frown as his arm shoots out into the salute, and he grunts. This did not seem like an awkward improvisation. It seemed like something he had planned. The sudden shift in facial expression revealed what truly lurks beneath his thatch of hair plugs.
I am old enough to remember when Vermont Gov. Howard Dean got hounded out of the 2004 presidential race for an awkward scream during an enthusiastic speech. The fact that Musk can get away with this shows how far American politics have deteriorated over the past two decades. Even an accidental evoking of Nazi symbolism would have been enough to get a person tossed from a political operation a few years ago. Yet Musk pulled this stunt on Inauguration Day and will likely face no consequences.
When I decided to rename this newsletter “The Nerd Reich,” I worried that it might be a little too much. Now, I worry that it might not be severe enough to convey the threat posed by this aggressive cancer growing in our political system. The grand unveiling has begun. In one three-day weekend, Trump made billions in his new $Trump crypto scheme, signed an executive order that violates the Constitution, and pardoned thousands of criminal defendants who took part in the January 6 attack.
Not to be outdone, Musk pulled his Nazi salute stunt as the crowd cheered.
As we witness this dark metamorphosis of American democracy, we can no longer hide behind awkward euphemisms or circumlocutions. When the world’s wealthiest man stands behind the Presidential seal and mimics history’s most infamous gesture of genocidal authoritarianism, we must see it for what it is.
Our political system is being dismantled by men who feel no need to hide their intentions. The crowd’s cheers for Musk’s salute echo across history. They remind us that civilization’s descent into barbarism doesn’t happen through sudden collapse. It happens through the gradual normalization of the unthinkable. Those cheers tell us everything we need to know about where we’re headed – unless we find the courage to confront this moment with the moral clarity it demands.
Keep Democracy Alive
Dark stuff, but here's an antidote. On New Year's Day, Dr. George Lakoff and I published a list of tips to fight despair and "Keep Democracy Alive in 2025." The list took on a life of its own and has been read and shared worldwide. Yesterday, it was republished at Zeteo. Read it here:
George Lakoff
Vox: 'It's darker than you think'
Over at Vox, senior reporter Sigal Samuel examines what the "Broligarchs" truly want out of Trump:
For the tech bros — or as some say, the broligarchs — this is about much more than just maintaining and growing their riches. It’s about ideology. An ideology inspired by science fiction and fantasy. An ideology that says they are supermen, and supermen should not be subject to rules, because they’re doing something incredibly important: remaking the world in their image.
The story, "The broligarchs have a vision for the new Trump term. It’s darker than you think," mentions my work and also quotes me: “The idea is to build power over the long term by controlling money, politics, technology, and land.”
Sigal Samuel
