What did Elon Musk say? ADL condemns Tesla CEO’s salute “jokes” days after defending him over controversy

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has called out the SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his N**i Jokes on X.

The Tesla chief, who was under fire for his hand gesture at Trump’s second inauguration, made some jokes on X referencing the names of disgraced N**i politicians. Musk was posting against the “N**i accusations when he wrote,

“Don’t say Hess to N**i accusations! – Some people will Goebbels anything down! – Stop Gőring your enemies! – His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler! –Bet you did n**i that coming 😂 ” (via @elonmusk on X)

The Tesla CEO’s puns on a rather sensitive topic didn’t sit well with ADL, which is known for voicing its opinions against antisemitism and discrimination. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt quoted the Tesla Boss’ X post and criticized him for referencing the Holocaust (or key figures behind it). He wrote,

“We've said it hundreds of times before and we will say it again: the Holocaust was a singularly evil event, and it is inappropriate and offensive to make light of it. @elonmusk, the Holocaust is not a joke.” (via @JGreenblattADL on X)

(Via @ADL on X)

ADL also targeted Elon Musk, quoting Greenblatt’s post and sharing its statement. The non-government organization chastised Musk for trivializing the Holocaust with his “inappropriate and highly offensive jokes.” The statement reads,

“Making inappropriate and highly offensive jokes that trivialize the Holocaust only serve to minimize the evil and inhumanity of N**i crimes, denigrate the suffering of both victims and survivors and insult the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah.”

The condemnation from ADL and Jonathan Greenblatt came a few days after the organization defended the Tesla CEO over his salute controversy.

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ADL defended Tesla boss Elon Musk for his “awkward gesture” at Trump’s second inauguration

The Tesla CEO was one of Donald Trump’s close allies during his presidential campaign. Thus, after the 47th President took the oath, Musk was among the key names of Trump’s administration. The Tesla boss, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s administrator, also addressed the American public during an event on inauguration day.

As he thanked everyone for making Trump win the elections, Musk made a one-handed gesture twice. As soon as his gesture was televised, many displayed their opinions. A section even declared Musk’s gesture as N**i Salute (aka Sieg Heil), which the SpaceX chief refuted on X as “dirty tricks.” ADL was another entity that came to Elon Musk’s defense, declaring his actions as an “awkward gesture.”

(Via @ADL on X)

In an X post, ADL called Trump’s inauguration a “delicate moment” and a “new day.” Talking about how many were on the edge, with social media adding to the anxiety, ADL explains,

“It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a N**i salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.”

(Via @AJCCEO on X)

Like ADL, many gave Musk the benefit of the doubt for his gesture, but his opponents continued to hurl the “N**i accusations.” Ultimately, Elon Musk started another debate with his somewhat edgy jokes referencing the N**i leaders. Besides ADL, others have also lambasted Musk for his wordplay about N**is.