Elon Musk Waking Right Arm Draws Criticism, Trolls Wikipedia, Musk's Daughter Reacts

Elon Musk found himself in the middle of a controversy after a video from Donald Trump’s inauguration rally showed him making a gesture that many viewers compared to a Nazi salute. In the footage, Musk appeared to extend his right arm in an upward angle twice, which some interpreted as a fascist salute. Musk quickly denied any intention behind the gesture, stating that there was no meaning to it and brushing off the comparison as part of a tired attack.

Despite his denial, the controversy intensified when Wikipedia included the incident in an entry. The website described Musk’s gesture, saying, “In his speech during the second Trump inauguration, Musk twice extended his right arm towards the crowd in an upward angle. The gesture was compared to a Nazi salute or fascist salute. Musk denied any meaning behind the gesture.” This led Musk to lash out at both Wikipedia and the media.

On social media, Musk criticized Wikipedia, accusing the platform of being a “purveyor of disinformation” and claimed that it was simply repeating the “legacy media propaganda.” He further urged his followers to “defund” Wikipedia, calling attention to what he saw as the website's bias. He wrote, “Since legacy media propaganda is considered a ‘valid’ source by Wikipedia, it naturally simply becomes an extension of legacy media propaganda!”

In response to Musk’s attacks, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales took a jab at Musk, referencing his $44 billion purchase of X (formerly Twitter). Wales sarcastically said, “I think Elon is unhappy that Wikipedia is not for sale,” and asked him if he found anything inaccurate in the description of the gesture. Wales defended the entry, stating, “Every element of it [was] fact,” pointing out that the description was based on what was observed.

Meanwhile, Musk’s estranged transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, subtly addressed the situation. Wilson, who was disowned by Musk after she changed her name and gender at 18, made an Instagram post that seemed to criticize her father’s gesture. She wrote on Instagram’s Threads, “I’m just gonna say let’s call a spade a f***ing spade. Especially if there were two spades done in succession based on the reaction of the first spade.”

In another post, Wilson continued with a sarcastic tone, stating, “I don’t know why ya’ll are reacting with such vigor, I’m clearly only talking about card suits. I mean I have ADHD and this was CLEARLY just an accident that people happened to interpret to mean something other than just card suits. After all, there’s no proof I’m not just talking about card suits. People assuming that I’m not just talking about card suits just goes to show how dishonest people/the media can be.”

As the controversy continues to unfold, Musk has dismissed the comparisons to Hitler, calling the “everyone is Hitler” attack “soooo tired.” The incident remains a point of tension, drawing attention from both social media users and the media.