If you’ve dared to hop on X, formerly Twitter, in the last few days, you likely saw Elon Musk’s shocking salute at the end of his inauguration rally speech. You may have also come across users saying the move was a sign of autism.
Musk, who is working for President Donald Trump’s administration, revealed he had Asperger’s during a “Saturday Night Live” monologue a few years ago; that condition is now known as a presentation of autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. Users argued that gestures like the one Musk made at the rally, along with acting “weird,” are symptoms of the disorder.
As some experts and advocates may tell you, autism symptoms and gestures that appear like targeted hate toward people are typically two completely different things.
First, while autism can cause people to struggle more in social situations, it doesn’t mean it excuses cruelty and disrespect, whether intentional or not. While some individuals who are autistic may struggle to interpret social cues or engage in social settings, that doesn’t mean they’ll jump to controversial actions.
“Neurodivergent people are just like anyone else and are able to learn social norms, context and impacts of their actions,” Jennifer Vincent, a licensed mental health counselor who works with autistic and neurodivergent individuals, and has nearly 20 years of experience, told HuffPost.
Shea Belsky, a Jewish person and autistic self-advocate, also emphasized this point based on his own experience. “Autism does not make it impossible for someone to feel shame, empathy or guilt for their actions,” he told HuffPost. “I do not believe for a second that Elon was oblivious to what he was doing.”
Additionally, as autistic X user @FowlCrown, Siena, stated in a post that autism and a Nazi salute are not a cause-and-effect situation. “im autistic and wouldn’t make any movement even close to a nazi especially in front of a cROWD at such a heightened political time,” they wrote.
There’s also the argument of dyspraxia, a movement and coordination disorder that’s common in autistic children. Some on social media suggested Musk’s salute could be a product of that.
Amelia Kelley, a trauma-informed therapist who treats clients with autism and other forms of neurodiversity, and author of “Powered by ADHD: Strategies and Exercises for Women to Harness Their Untapped Gifts,” explained to HuffPost that these movements in autistic individuals are a natural part of how their brains process sensory input and social interactions.
Lauren Dawson, an autistic person and neurodiversity coach, said she occasionally experiences challenges with coordination, more commonly associated with dyspraxia. She struggles to judge where her body is in space, leading her to bump into things a lot. What autism or dyspraxia doesn’t cause Dawson to personally do, though, is salute, she said.
“There is a stark difference between uncoordinated movement and making the same … gesture twice, without hesitation and as a fast movement,” she said.
Further, stimming and autistic gestures are often rhythmic and looping or cycling, explained Kimberly Vered Shashoua, a therapist who has spent a decade working with autistic youth. This gesture seems different from that, she told HuffPost.
On the whole, Vincent summarized ASD as a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication, sensory processing and behaviors.
The criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is fairly long and specific, and you can easily access it on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. But essentially, ASD includes symptoms such as struggling with back-and-forth conversations, avoiding eye contact, insistence on routine, fixated interests and sensory discomforts, to name a few.
When discussing a condition, especially in public conversations and debates about controversial topics, talking to people who have it firsthand is also vital.
“For me, I experience a lot of sensory challenges, including being very sensitive to noises, smells, visual stimuli,” Dawson shared. “I also need a lot of alone time, and can easily take on the emotions and stress of those around me.”
Of course, that’s only one example. Autism will look different for each person who has it — and that doesn’t mean hate speech and gestures are a part.
“I feel it’s important to look at the background and overall context of the individual, not their neurotype in isolation,” Dawson said. “Musk’s track record with the far right is undeniable and should be what is focused on here.”
Acknowledging what’s behind this particular debate ― and the impact it has
All of this begs the question: Are people associating Musk’s gesture with autism doing so because they believe they know how autism works, or because they want to throw a blanket defense for Musk (and perhaps more specifically, the far right)? After all, some X users posted photos and videos of Democrats with their arms out, appearing to demonstrate the same gesture. But others argue these images are not the same as Musk’s gesture.
After asking Dawson, she said it could be a combination of both. “People often reach for anything in defense,” she said. “The fact that it is being brought up highlights a continued misunderstanding that’s being perpetuated recently.”
Musk is also not the one who credited the salute to autism, which Shashoua said is telling. “We have to hold people accountable for their actions and believe what we’re seeing when people demonstrate their values.”
“With his influence, he has a unique opportunity to normalize and celebrate the contributions of neurodivergent individuals, while also highlighting how such traits can be misinterpreted at times,” Kelley said. “At this point, we have to wait and see if he ‘makes right’ what went wrong.”
Musk originally responded to the controversy with statements like, “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired” with a sleeping emoji.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) put out a statement on Monday saying that Musk’s gesture was “not a Nazi salute.”
“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 wrote.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Trump’s pick for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defended Musk during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday when Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn) asked her how she felt about him doing “two heil Hitler salutes” during the televised rally.
“No, Elon Musk did not do those salutes,” Stefanik said. “I was not at the rally, but I can tell you I’ve been at many rallies with Elon Musk, who loves to cheer when President Trump says we need to send our U.S. space program to Mars. Elon Musk is a visionary.”
“That is simply not the case,” Stefanik said later when talking about the comparison.
On Thursday, Musk continued to comment on it, writing on X, “Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations,” seemingly referring to Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler’s deputy. “Bet you did nazi that coming,” Musk added, with a laughter emoji. Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, then responded to Musk’s tweet, saying: “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.”
Regardless of any objective, intent does not equal impact. “To imply that a specific person’s harmful behavior — whether intentionally or not — should be excused because of their autism perpetuates a dangerous stereotype that autistic individuals are more prone to harmful behaviors,” Vincent told HuffPost.
When asked how the excuse for Musk made them feel, the people with autism we interviewed used words like “abhorred,” “incredibly angry,” “infuriated” and “saddened.”
Go Ad-Free — And Protect The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
“Being autistic does not give people a free pass to insult others and make them feel ashamed of who they are,” Belsky added.