(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, nuked Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy’s attempt Tuesday to push a false claim that Elon Musk did a “Heil Hitler” salute.
Musk energetically gesticulated on stage Monday during inaugural festivities at the Capital One Arena, which involved him quickly raising his right arm while saying, “My heart goes out to you.”
Talking heads on CNN and MSNBC took that split second and ran with it to peddle a hoax that Musk made a Nazi-like salute.
CNN has learned a lot from their total loss in 2024. They’ve decided it’s a solid idea to suggest that Elon Musk did the nazi salute at the Trump victory rally. pic.twitter.com/Hc7dSAackP
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) January 20, 2025
During her confirmation hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Murphy parroted the leftist hoax to Stefanik when he asked, “What do you think of Elon Musk, perhaps the President’s most visible advisor, doing two ‘heil Hitler’ salutes last night at the President’s televised rally?”
Stefanik shot down the Connecticut Democrat’s false claim by saying, “No, Elon Musk did not do those salutes.”
She added that while she was not at the rally, she attended previous rallies with Musk and knows he would never do a Nazi salute.
Democrat Senator Chris Murphy shared an edited video of Elon’s speech and hand gestures and spread the lie that it was a Nazi salute and today, he attempted to gaslight UN ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik into believing the fake news.
Stefanik wasn't having it and completely… pic.twitter.com/xlWs7vZGta
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 21, 2025
“That is simply not the case, and to say so is — the American people are smart. They see through it. They support Elon Musk,” Stefanik said.
Murphy cited various social media posts by so-called conservatives as he tried to disprove Stefanik’s claim that Americans support Musk, elevating his rhetoric by questioning Trump’s nominee about “the neo-Nazi and white supremacist element in the United States.”
However, he failed to draw attention to the plethora of commentators on X urging Americans not to trust the media’s new lie about Musk.
Elon Musk was very ill-advised to do this kind of salute to denote his clearly stated ‘my heart goes out to you’ sentiment… but he obviously didn’t mean it as a Nazi salute and anyone who says he did is being a disingenuous idiot. pic.twitter.com/5fh82psnSC
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 21, 2025
DO NOT BELIEVE THE MEDIA
The media is misleading you. Elon Musk never did a Nazi salute. Watch the full video: He simply gestured and said, “Thank you, my heart goes out to you.” pic.twitter.com/e3vBaLoVqx
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) January 20, 2025
Impossible for MSM to waste an opportunity to inflame a situation needlessly. pic.twitter.com/OcvUeie8dR
— HuckleBerry (@AFKHuckleBerry) January 20, 2025
This belongs in the bullsh*t hall of fame. https://t.co/V3nyYxwgOa
— Brit Hume (@brithume) January 21, 2025
“This belongs in the bulls**t hall of fame,” Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume replied to Murphy’s post of the exchange on X.
Even the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit against antisemitism, defended Musk’s “awkward gesture” as a “moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. 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…
— ADL (@ADL) January 20, 2025
“What concerns me is these are the questions you believe are most important to ask to the U.N. Ambassador. I have a very strong record when it comes to combating antisemitism,” Stefanik told Murphy during their back-and-forth.
“We just had a historic election where President Trump earned historic support from American voters because of his strong leadership combating antisemitism, which has been a scourge across the country, skyrocketing since October 7th,” she said. “So, I intend to bring moral clarity to this position and continue to speak out as a voice, as a beacon of light, condemning antisemitism at the United Nations, which is representative of President Trump’s record and President Trump’s promises that he made on the campaign trail.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
