Vivian Jenna Wilson Appalled Over Debate of Elon Musk’s Inaugural ‘Arm Salute’
After speaking at Donald Trump’s inauguration, right-wing billionaire Elon Musk made a notable gesture: he slapped his chest and stiffly raised his arm twice, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Though Musk had only a brief appearance, it sparked an international debate over his intentions. Elon Musk’s daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, had harsh words for those who dismissed the gesture as non-fascist.
On Tuesday, Wilson posted on Threads and BlueSky: “I’m just gonna say let’s call a spade a fucking spade. Especially if there were two spades done in succession based on the reaction of the first spade.”
She is not alone in her condemnation. The gesture has drawn international attention, with dignitaries, politicians, and celebrities worldwide commenting on it. While some have tried to interpret Musk’s action as a Roman salute or a result of his awkwardness, these interpretations are challenging to defend, since Musk has neither clarified his intentions nor publicly denounced the white supremacists who were reportedly encouraged by his actions.
The backlash from communities is significant, condemning his actions during and after the inauguration. Musk, meanwhile, has responded to the controversy with jokes and puns with apparent pro-Nazi themes.
Wilson, who had distanced herself from Musk years before the event, finds it absurd that there is even a debate over his intentions. She elaborated in a follow-up post: “I’m clearly only talking about card suits. I mean I have ADHD and this was CLEARLY just an accident that people happened to interpret to mean something other than just card suits (…) For those who can read between the lines, do y’all understand how fucking easy this is to do? Plausible deniability, honey.”
Vivan Jenna Wilson’s perspective resonates with many. Shannon McGregor, a communications professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, weighed in: “This gesture, which I would say is not necessarily unambiguous, really has the hallmarks of what we call strategic ambiguity, a tactic often employed by those on the right,” McGregor says. “It’s aimed at different audiences who might interpret it differently. But the communicator stands to gain something from that … If you’re on the right, this is sort of the bona fides of being attacked by the left and the mainstream media, while at the same time normalizing something that is a far-right gesture.”
Photo courtesy of social media
