Fact Check: Did Barack Obama and Kamala Harris make the same controversial gesture as Elon Musk?

WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy, but his recent appearance at President Donald Trump’s inauguration has sparked a major backlash.

While Musk was onstage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC — introducing his new government role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) — he made a hand gesture that made social media go into meltdown mode — comparing it to the infamous Nazi salute.

What started as a debate about Musk’s intentions spiraled into a full-on blame game, with conservatives digging up old photos of prominent Democrats like Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris in seemingly similar poses.

Social media quickly turned into a battleground, with right-wing accounts using these images to question whether there’s a double standard at play.

Elon Musk's controversial 'gesture'

The controversy began on January 20, 2025, when Musk made not one but two arm-raising gestures during his speech at the inauguration. The motion, some argued, bore an uncanny resemblance to the “Sieg Heil” salute used by the Nazis—a connection that immediately led to widespread outrage, Newsweek reported.

For his part, Musk dismissed the accusations as nothing more than a smear campaign. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” Musk wrote on his platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

Right-wingers on social media sprang into action, dredging up photos of Democrats making similarly outstretched arm movements. The implication was that if Musk’s gesture is being called into question, then why not theirs?

Elon Musk amplifies argument against Democrats

One of the most viral posts came from the popular conservative account Libs of TikTok. The post — shared on January 21, 2025 — featured side-by-side photos of Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Hillary Clinton, all striking poses with their arms extended.

“Can someone direct me to the articles where the media expressed outrage over this? Can’t find any…” the caption read.

That post was reshared by Elon Musk himself, amplifying the argument: “The legacy media is pure propaganda. You are the media now."

A post by the account Doge Designer included the photos of Obama and Harris. "Why isn't CNN showing this? 'Obama and Kamala performing a Nazi salute,'" they asked.

Someone else included the photos and wrote: "Here, we go again with the MSM narrative. Calling Elon a nazi. Does this make Obama, Hillary, and Kamala one too?"

The photo of Hillary Clinton was pulled from a 2007 rally, while Elizabeth Warren’s image came from the 2016 Democratic National Convention. As for Barack Obama and Kamala Harris, their moments were snapped during separate public appearances in 2010 and 2019, respectively.

Fact Check: Stripped of context

Of course, there’s a catch. When you dig into the context behind the aforementioned photos, the comparison begins to fall apart.

Take Elizabeth Warren’s photo, for example. A closer look at the footage from the 2016 Democratic National Convention reveals that Warren wasn’t saluting—she was clapping, waving, and gesturing toward the crowd in appreciation of her supporters. The “salute” moment was nothing more than a celebratory wave frozen mid-motion.

Similarly, Kamala Harris’s image came from a 2019 event where she pointed toward the audience while criticizing then-President Donald Trump. The movement, captured in a still photo, bore no meaningful resemblance to Musk’s controversial gesture.

As for Barack Obama, his photo was taken during a Republican House Issues Conference in 2010. In video footage from the event, Obama can be seen briefly raising his arm while making a point about healthcare. Again, there is no evidence of intentional symbolism.

Hillary Clinton’s image is perhaps the hardest to pin down due to the lack of accompanying video, but the 2007 rally photo hasn’t sparked any credible accusations over the past 18 years—until now. Clinton has also been vocal against white supremacy, making the comparison even more tenuous, per Newsweek.

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