The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a nonprofit focused on combating antisemitism, defended tech billionaire Elon Musk’s “awkward” gesture during a Monday celebratory event which some critics panned as a fascist salute.

Elon Musk’s salute during his speech at the Capital One Arena sparked widespread debate, with critics likening it to the infamous Nazi salute

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.”

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).

After thanking the crowd for electing Trump, Musk slapped his chest and twice lifted his right arm on an upward diagonal during his speech at the inauguration—prompting comparisons with the Nazi "Sieg Heil" salute. “My heart goes out to you," he told the crowd after making the gesture.

The Anti-Defamation League, an antisemitism and human rights watchdog, called it an “awkward gesture” and urged caution in jumping to conclusions.

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

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for defending Elon Musk's alleged "heil Hitler salute" at Donald Trump's inauguration.

Some across the political spectrum said the gesture looked like a "Heil Hitler" salute. The ADL said it was not.

A gesture made by Elon Musk while he was speaking at President Donald Trump's Inauguration Parade Monday evening caused a stir online, with some people noting that the tech billionaire's straight-arm movement looked like a Nazi salute.

Musk’s first day in Trump’s Washington was not without controversy after he made a gesture observers said resembled a Nazi salute.