SNOPES KNOWS ELON MUSK DIDN’T GIVE NAZI SALUTE, WON’T DEBUNK HOAX:
Even Snopes, which fancies itself an objective fact-checker, refused to debunk the claim that Musk gave a Nazi salute.
During his brief speech — available in full on YouTube — Musk said to the crowd gathered in honor of Trump’s victory, “And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.” He then briskly extended his right hand from his heart to the crowd in front of him. He repeated the gesture for the people behind him. Then, in a moment omitted from the users’ videos, he said, placing his hand over his heart, “Thank you. My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured, thanks to you.”
[…]
We emphasize that as of this writing, Musk has not explained the gesture, nor can we read his mind to learn precisely what he intended by it. It’s possible it was a purposeful Nazi salute; it could also have been entirely innocent. The available evidence is too scant to draw a solid conclusion.
While Snopes wouldn’t debunk it, despite clearly recognizing the gesture was not a Nazi salute, the Anti-Defamation League did debunk it.
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.
It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on…
— ADL (@ADL) January 20, 2025
It’s really sick that at a time when the mainstream media has been raising alarm bells about disinformation, they continue to actively engage in it to serve their agenda.
Snopes will get around to debunking this hoax sometime at the tail end of JD Vance’s first term in the Oval Office — that’s how long it took them to debunk the “fine people on both sides” hoax from 2017.
In the meantime, as Kurt Schlichter writes: Elon Musk Needs to Sue Everybody.