Elon Musk called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “creepy” and suggested a lawsuit was coming after the former vice presidential candidate said Musk performed a Nazi salute following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The Tesla CEO and world’s richest man has emerged as a close Trump adviser.
Musk’s gesture on Jan. 20 – in which he clapped his right hand onto his heart and then thrusted his arm straight outward at an angle with his palm facing down – has drawn outrage for its similarities to a salute used widely in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.
He performed the gesture twice and said, “My heart goes out to you.”
Walz, who ran alongside Kamala Harris against Trump last year, appeared on MSNBC on Tuesday and said, “We spent three days debating, having them trying to debate that President Musk gave a Nazi salute. Of course he did.”
The clip has made the rounds on X, which is owned by Musk. On X, Musk replied to a posting of the clip that suggested he should sue Walz.
“I think I will,” Musk wrote.
The nature of the salute has been a matter of some debate. The Anti-Defamation League called it “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” while still adding that, “we appreciate that people are on edge.”
