SECOND THOUGHTS

ADL Changes Its Tune on Elon Musk Amid Salute Backlash

The organization’s CEO had a blistering response as Musk made a series of labored Nazi-themed “jokes.”

The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League rebuked Elon Musk on Thursday after the MAGA billionaire joked about the Holocaust amid the blowback over his evocative salute.

Musk mentioned ”nazis,” “Goebbels,” and “Göring” in a series of “jokes” Thursday morning on X, days after he made a hand gesture onstage after President Donald Trump’s inauguration that some likened to a “Nazi” salute.

“Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations!” he wrote in a post, adding, “Bet you did nazi that coming” with a crying-laughing emoji.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), founded to directly combat antisemitism, was ripped by social media commentators over its initial response to Musk’s hand gesture.

In a tweet Monday evening, the organization declared that it was “not a Nazi salute” but an “awkward” gesture in a “moment of enthusiasm.”

“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead,” the organization added in a tweet.

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But after Musk’s jokes Thursday, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt seemed to have enough of it all. In a statement directly addressing Musk, 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.”

From its general account, the organization added, “Making inappropriate and highly offensive jokes that trivialize the Holocaust only serve to minimize the evil and inhumanity of Nazi crimes, denigrate the suffering of both victims and survivors and insult the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah.”

Musk, for his part, responded to several X commentators who supported a claim that he was being unfairly maligned.

”It’s only a Nazi salute when Elon Musk does it, when Tim Waltz does it then it’s just a hand gesture,” wrote one commentator, sharing a video of the Minnesota governor touching his chest and then waving his hand hello.

Musk responded: “Yea.”

Rubin Report host Dave Rubin added, “Humor is the fascist way to defeat these people!”

To which Musk also responded, “💯 They can’t stand being mocked 😂.”

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