Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) was among those who sharply criticized billionaire Elon Musk on Monday for making “what appears to be a Heil Hitler salute” during an event celebrating the

Elon Musk is a name you might be used to hearing. From SpaceX to X, and Tesla to Starlink, Musk is behind a lot of companies. Later this month, he will take on a role in U.S. president-elect Donald Trump ’s political inner circle. He is set to lead a new advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said, "Illinois is going to continue to be a beacon of policies that are antithetical to the retrograde policies of a Trump administration.”

Scores of Reddit users called for bans on X links after Musk made two enthusiastic salutes that immediately drew criticism on Monday.

Sir Keir Starmer has visited Auschwitz, a place he described as "utterly harrowing", and said he was determined to fight the "poison of antisemitism". The Prime Minister visited the former Nazi concentration camp as he travelled to Poland to meet the country's political leaders.

Musk, the world's richest man and a close ally of President Trump, was speaking at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC when he made the gesture. "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured," the 53-year-old said, after giving the second one-armed salute.

The debate over Musk’s latest move has added fuel to other ongoing feuds, too.

Many social media users noticed the gesture looked like a Nazi salute. Musk fanned the flames of suspicion by not explicitly denying those claims in a dozen posts since.

Meteorologist Sam Kuffel criticized Elon Musk on social media for his straight-arm gesture some likened to a Nazi salute at the Trump inauguration.

Rolling Stone magazine reported that neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists in America and abroad were “abuzz” after the gesture, citing celebratory captions of the clip from far-right figures such as “Incredible things are happening already lmao” and “Ok maybe woke really is dead.”

Elon Musk responded to criticism of his gesture during a post-inauguration speech on Monday, saying those comparing it to a Nazi salute were deploying "dirty tricks."