Billionaire Elon Musk has faced a barrage of criticism after footage taken during Donald Trump’s inauguration and circulated widely led to allegations of giving a ‘Nazi salute.’ Critics and social media users raised questions over the intention behind the gesture, while Musk called it a desperate attempt by his detractors to bring him down, in response to his sharp, often controversial retorts.
Time for critics to come up with better dirty tricks,” Musk declared on social media, dismissing the outrage as frivolous and preposterous. He further elaborated that the gesture, some say it was akin to the notorious salute, had nothing to do with what critics say it conveyed. The people defending Musk labeled critics as unnecessarily causing controversy in a harmless move.
The incident has once again reopened the debate about public figures’ responsibilities to be mindful of their actions during high-profile events. While some believe that Musk is being unfairly targeted because of his outspoken nature, others believe that such gestures must be scrutinized given their potential implications.
As the debate rages on, Musk seems unfazed by the furor. A man who has faced many criticisms in his life, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO seems hell-bent on putting this behind him with the same panache that he has in dealing with every other challenge thrown his way.
