Elon Musk Makes Nazi Pun to Joe Rogan, Saying He Did ‘Not See’ Anything Wrong with His Controversial Gesture

Elon Musk is responding to the backlash that came after he performed a controversial hand gesture at President Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration earlier this year.

“I did not see it coming,” the tech billionaire, 53, said, putting "not" and "see" together to sound like “Nazi," of the reaction to the move he made, which was likened to a Nazi salute, in an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast released on Friday, Feb. 28.

Musk added that “people will Goebbels anything down,” referring to German Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. (He previously made the same statement responding to the backlash in a post on X last month.)

Host Joe Rogan then said in Musk's defense, “There's so many examples of people saying 'my heart goes out to' while motioning a similar gesture," adding, “You did it with a little enthusiasm that probably be recommended with hindsight.”

“It was obviously meant in the most positive spirit possible,” Musk responded.

Musk, who is currently serving as the head of President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), later posted a clip from the interview on X, in which he stated, "Hopefully people will realize I’m not a Nazi."

“You can’t escape this bull----” he continued, further stating, "What is bad about Nazis, it wasn't their fashion sense or their mannerisms, it was the war and genocide is the bad part. Not the mannerisms and their dress code.”

The CEO then placed his hand over his heart quickly, before giving a salute at an upward angle, with emphasis. He turned to attendees sitting behind him and repeated the gesture.

“My heart goes out to you,” continued Musk as he placed his hand back over his chest.

The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish rights group, later spoke out against the controversial gesture, writing on X, “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 edge,” the group added. “In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”

Musk previously pushed back at the controversy at the time in a post on X. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote, adding a sleeping emoji.