Images of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, raising his arm in a “Roman salute” during the celebrations for Donald Trump’s inauguration at the White House are going around the world .
The X and Tesla owner, nominated to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), thanked the new president's supporters in his speech at the Capital One Arena in Washington ("I just want to say thank you for making this possible," he told the crowd), then beat his chest and raised his arm. Then, he turned to the audience behind him and raised his right arm a second time.
The images, broadcast live, did not escape the attention of the American and international media, starting with the Israeli ones: "Elon Musk appears to perform the fascist salute at the inauguration event," wrote the Times of Israel, while Haaretz underlined how the billionaire had previously "attacked George Soros" and multiplied "his support for European far-right parties," such as the German AfD.
The video was also posted by Musk's representative in Italy, Andrea Stroppa, who accompanied the images with the words: "The Roman Empire is back, starting with the Roman salute." Stroppa himself, however, later deleted the post, replacing it with another: "That gesture, which some have mistaken for a Nazi salute, is simply Elon, who is autistic, while expressing his feelings by saying 'I want to give you my heart', and that is exactly what he communicated into the microphone. Elon does not like extremists!"
(Online Union)