Elon Musk Drags Taylor Swift Into ‘Nazi Salute’ Drama

Arm gestures Elon Musk made at President Donald Trump’s inauguration continue to have ripple effects, and the X Corp. owner has attempted to drag pop star Taylor Swift into the drama.

Newsweek contacted a representative for Swift and the press department for Musk’s X for comment via email outside normal working hours.

Why It Matters

Following the fallout over his gesture, Musk has shared posts from users on X, formerly Twitter, showing pictures and videos of politicians and prominent figures with their arms raised, including Swift.

While Swift has never spoken publicly about Musk, he has previously mentioned the singer on social media. In September, after Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, the tech billionaire offered to give her a child, in a post many X users branded as “weird” and “creepy.”

What To Know

On Monday, Musk made headlines after making two back-to-back arm gestures that immediately sparked criticism and comparisons to a Nazi salute.

The billionaire has dismissed the allegations, writing on X: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

The Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group that works to combat antisemitism and other forms of bias, has said Musk made an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.”

On X, Musk commented on a post that included a collection of images showing former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Elizabeth Warren with their arms raised. He wrote: “The legacy media is pure propaganda. You are the media now.”

Musk also reshared posts of Swift that showed her with her arm raised during a musical performance in 2015. The image was captured as Swift blew a kiss to her fans during a performance on ABC’s Good Morning America on October 30 of that year, when she was promoting her album 1989.

Swift has not been accused of any wrongdoing. She was not accused of any wrongdoing at the time of the performance. She has not received criticism from any legitimate person or entity.

What People Are Saying

While announcing her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, Taylor Swift wrote on Instagram in September: “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”

The Anti-Defamation League wrote on X on Monday: “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.”

What Happens Next

Trump has appointed Musk as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. It remains to be seen how the department will operate under Musk’s leadership as it is facing a number of lawsuits from progressive and public-interest groups.

The lawsuits accuse the department of violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a 1972 law that requires federal advisory committees to follow certain transparency rules.

Update 1/22/25, 10:40 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

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