Fact Check: Did Trump claim on Truth Social that Elon Musk 'totally' did a Nazi salute?
WASHINGTON, DC: The relationship between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk has taken a U-turn in recent weeks after the Tesla CEO criticized one of the government bills by the Trump administration.
An online feud soon erupted between the two where both slammed each other.
Amid this, a rumor circulated online claiming that Trump on Truth Social said the former head of DOGE "totally" did a Nazi salute. But is there any truth to this viral rumor? Let us find out below.
Claim: Trump posted on Truth Social claiming Elon Musk 'totally' did a Nazi salute
In June 2025, a rumor circulated across social media claiming President Trump posted on Truth Social that Elon Musk "totally" did a Nazi salute.
Social media users shared an alleged screenshot claiming to be from Trump's Truth Social that read, "That totally was a Nazi salute that Elon did by the way. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it."
Hahahaha this one is actually funny pic.twitter.com/f15A2TJVPD
— Matthew Rife (@RifeTechnology) June 6, 2025
It referenced a moment from Trump's second Inauguration Day in January where the Tesla CEO raised his arm in a gesture that many compared to the stiff-armed salute associated with Nazism.
The alleged screenshot was shared across social media platforms such as Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X.
False: No such post appeared on Trump's Truth Social feed
The claims made in the online rumor are false, as no such post appeared on Trump's Truth Social feed, according to Snopes.
The X user's post hinted that someone fabricated the image to make a meme of Trump claiming Musk performed a Nazi salute, per the fact-checking outlet.
Moreover, there was no sign of the post on Trump's Truths, a website that archives Trump's Truth Social posts, even the deleted ones.
Furthermore, the texts font in the alleged screenshot seemed different from the usual font present in Truth Social posts.
Elon Musk-Donald Trump's feud went from bad to worse
President Trump and Elon Musk have turned their once-public friendship into a bitter and escalating feud. The fallout between the two happened publicly this week, consisting of personal attacks, political threats, and billions of dollars in financial losses to Tesla.
The alliance between the two started last July, when Musk offered his full-throated support to Trump after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, during a presidential campaign.
Their relationship quickly progressed, and after Trump’s inauguration in January, Musk was appointed an unpaid presidential advisor under the "special government employee" category.
During the Trump administration's early days, Musk became the most public face of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he pushed aggressive cost-cutting reforms.
However, the bromance between them started to unravel shortly after Musk’s departure from the White House in late May.
Musk slammed the Trump administration’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” on several occasions, and warned it would increase the federal deficit and undo DOGE’s efforts.
The tension between them spiked on June 5, when Trump accused Musk of trying to sabotage the bill due to the removal of electric vehicle tax credits in it.
The POTUS told reporters, "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore."
"I'm very disappointed in Elon. He knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left," Trump added.
Following this, Musk went online and denied Trump’s version of events. He wrote on June 6, "This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!"
