Elon Musk tells Joe Rogan, 'I’m not a Nazi,' calls online hate 'pretty stressful'

Musk addresses accusations, calling the criticism “ridiculous” and stressing the emotional toll of constant attacks.

Elon Musk has firmly denied accusations of being a Nazi following backlash over a hand gesture he made at President Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration in January.

During a three-hour episode of The Joe Rogan Experience on Friday, Musk addressed the controversy, stating, “Hopefully people realize I’m not a Nazi. Just to be clear, I’m not a Nazi.”

🚨JOE ROGAN: "What is it like to buy a company for $44B and then people call you a Nazi on the platform you just bought?"

ELON MUSK: "I did Nazi it coming. *ba-dum-tss*."

JOE ROGAN: "There's so many examples of people saying "my heart goes out to you."

ELON MUSK: "I can now… pic.twitter.com/HqPw7I37sU

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 28, 2025

The gesture, which some compared to a Nazi salute, sparked outrage from Jewish organizations and politicians. Michel Friedman, former vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, called it a “disgrace” and a clear “Heil Hitler” salute, while US Rep. Jerry Nadler condemned it on X. However, the Anti-Defamation League argued it was an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”

Musk defended himself with humor, joking, “Now I can never point at things diagonally.” He also turned the names of prominent Nazis into puns in a post on X, writing, “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down! Stop Gőring your enemies! His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler! Bet you did nazi that coming,” followed by a crying-laughing emoji.

Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations!

Some people will Goebbels anything down!

Stop Gőring your enemies!

His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler!

Bet you did nazi that coming 😂

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, 2025

On the podcast, Musk argued that the essence of being a Nazi is tied to actions like genocide and war, not gestures or mannerisms. “What’s relevant about Nazis is like, are you invading Poland? And if you’re not invading Poland, maybe you’re not” a Nazi, he said.

“You have to be committing genocide and starting wars. What is actually bad about Nazis — it wasn’t their fashion or their mannerisms, it was the war and genocide.”

Musk also opened up about the emotional toll of online hate, calling it “pretty stressful.” He revealed, “They actually want to kill me. They say so online. There’s like Reddit forums where they don’t just want to kill me, they want to desecrate my corpse.”

The billionaire’s comments come amid ongoing scrutiny over his political affiliations, including his support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been criticized for repurposing Nazi slogans and downplaying the country’s historical crimes.

Despite the backlash, Musk remains unapologetic, using humor and logic to deflect criticism while acknowledging the personal strain of being in the public eye.