2025-01-25
13 分钟A gesture associated with the Nazis has a surprising history. But in Germany, there was little doubt about its meaning.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, Mr.
Elon Musk.
So was it a Hitler salute or wasn't it?
I'm Katrin Benhold and I'm a correspondent for the New York Times.
I'm also German.
Like many others,
I watched Elon Musk's speech during Donald Trump's presidential inauguration live on tv.
Musk comes onto the stage, pumping his fists as the crowd stands up cheering.
This is what victory feels like.
Yeah.
He slams his hands onto the podium with excitement as the crowd roars again.
Among those in the audience in Washington are far right politicians from Germany, Italy,
France and Britain, for whom Trump's victory is a massive boost at home.
This was a fork in the road of human civilization.
Elections, they come and go.
Some elections are important, some are not.
But this one, this one, this one really mattered.
And I just want to say thank you for making it happen.
Thank you.
In that moment, Elon Musk slaps his right hand into his chest, his face clenched,