The media is abuzz with a gesture from Elon Musk's during a speech last night. While saying thank you "from my heart," Musk put his hand over his heart and then straight out at an angle reminiscent of a Nazi salute
Since Musk has yet to comment on the gesture we cannot ascribe a specific motivation to it, but as a wealthy, well-educated, and worldly man, we can assume he is well-aware this gesture was used as a salute by the Nazis with the phrase, "Heil Hitler." "Heil" is a German word that means "salvation" - a tribute we can imagine the new president would embrace.
Musk is from South Africa, where Aparteid did not end until 1990. Until then, racial discrimination in housing, schooling, and healthcare segregated blacks from whites. Blacks over the age of 16 were required to carry papers, blacks could be held indefinitely without a trial, and inter-racial marriage was illegal. Is it possible Musk would not know the ultimate gesture of racial domination?
The first convicted January 6 defendants have been released. Over 140 police officers were injured during the J6 riots in 2021 as Trump urged his followers to the Capital. Members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are among the sentences to be commuted.
What is the message with the release of these prisoners? These prisoners who were convicted with crimes against police officers, crimes against property, and even some with crimes against democracy . . . what is the message we are to glean from their release? The message hearkens back to a rally in Iowa in January, 2016, when he said, “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you, seriously, just knock the hell . . . " and finished with, "I promise you I will pay for the legal fees."
So we do have precedent for this message, which seems to be 'defend Trump and he will defend you,' no matter which laws or even social norms are broken. It's a flex that sets the tone for private activists and Republican 'traitors' alike. Will Trump defend Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who harm or dox citizen protestors? He has commuted their sentences after storming the Capital amidst chants of 'hang Mike Pence," so why would we think otherwise? With the threat of Musk's deep pockets funding a primary challenges, we've already seen senators like Joni Ernst backtracking on hesitations endorsing Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth.
Even wikipedia can recognize what's happening:
"Characteristics: Authoritarianism is characterized by highly concentrated and centralized government power maintained by political repression and the exclusion of potential or supposed challengers by armed force. It uses political parties and mass organizations to mobilize people around the goals of the regime."