Elon Musk‘s ex-girlfriend Grimes issued a stern statement condemning Nazism amid the fallout from Musk’s controversial salute at Donald Trump‘s inauguration.
The singer, real name Claire Boucher, 36, wrote on her former partner’s X platform that she is ‘happy to denounce Nazism and the far alt-right’ after being pestered by fans to respond.
‘Would that help clear things up?’ she added, in response to a fan telling her ‘it would do a lot of good to clarify your stance right now.’
Grimes said she was not even aware that Musk, the father of her three children, had sparked another online debate – after he made an expressive salute at Trump’s inauguration celebrations that many likened to the Nazi ‘Seig Heil’ gesture.
‘I am still debating how to approach things diplomatically because I feel in over my head. But if there’s concern about that, I am happy to set the record straight in a meaningful way,’ she said in her tweet.
Musk quickly denied that his salute was in any way a tribute to Nazism, and has since mocked Democrats by sharing pictures of leaders including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton making similar arm movements in years past.
The world’s richest man was also defended by antisemitism watchdog Anti-Defamation League, which described the controversy as ‘an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.’
Elon Musk ‘s ex-girlfriend Grimes issued a stern statement condemning Nazism amid the fallout from Musk’s controversial salute at Donald Trump ‘s inauguration
Musk sparked online debate after he made an expressive salute at Trump’s inauguration celebrations that many likened to the Nazi ‘Seig Heil’ gesture
The singer, real name Claire Boucher, 36, wrote on her former partner’s X platform that she is ‘happy to denounce Nazism and the far alt-right’ after being pestered by fans to respond
Grimes’ back-and-forth with her fans came after one said they were intending to remove a tattoo dedicated to the artist because of Musk’s salute.
In response, the artist tweeted: ‘While I deeply respect your concern- it is unhealthy that people are this upset when I have not even been online yet today and am only just learning about this controversy now.
‘It’s absurd that someone can be this canceled for something their ex did before they even heard it happened.
‘I am not him. I will not make a statement every time he does something. I can only send love back into a world that is hurting.’
Grimes and Musk broke up in 2021, and have since been locked in a hostile custody battle over their three children, X AE A-XII, 4, Exa Dark Sideræl, 3, and Tau Techno Mechanicus, 2.
In an X post last November, she said Musk had ‘become unrecognizable to me’, and said she was trying to keep custody of her children ‘with a fraction of his resources.’
Amid the fallout of Musk’s salute this week, Grimes elaborated: ‘I promise you it doesn’t feel good to be hated all the time for things I don’t even know about, cannot predict, and cannot control.
‘But I also chose this path, I accept it. I make the best of it, and I simply wish happiness and health to all.’
Grimes and Musk broke up in 2021, and have since been locked in a hostile custody battle over their three children, with the singer saying late last year the billionaire had ‘become unrecognizable’ to her
Grimes’ back-and-forth with her fans came after one said they were intending to remove a tattoo dedicated to the artist because of Musk’s salute
Musk seen with other tech titans including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Sundar Pichai at Trump’s inauguration on Monday
After his ‘salute’ went viral earlier this week, Musk wasted no time in denying the Nazism allegations as he blasted his critics for needing ‘better dirty tricks’ to bring him down.
Musk took to his social media platform X to defend himself, stating that the ‘the “everyone is Hitler” attack is sooo tired.”
But the gesture sparked widespread debate online, dividing opinions between those who brushed it off as a clunky moment and others who felt Musk was offering a clear tribute to Nazism and the alt-right.
Claire Aubin, a historian who specializes in Nazism within the United States, said Musk’s gesture was a ‘sieg heil,’ or Nazi salute.
‘My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,’ Aubin posted on X, aligning with those who found the gesture was an overt reference to Nazis.
This opinion was disagreed with by the ADL, with the organization saying the backlash was fueled by the controversy coming at a ‘delicate moment.’
The gestures were quickly scrutinized online, prompting critics to allege the gesture was an overt reference to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. But Musk took to his social media platform X to defend himself, stating that his opponents needed ‘better dirty tricks’ and that ‘the ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired’
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization founded to combat anti-Semitism and has criticized Musk in the past, also rushed to his defense, saying it appears that ‘made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute’
‘It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety,’ the organization said in a statement posted on X.
‘It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.
‘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.’
Another historian, Aaron Astor, also rebuffed accusations of Musk’s Nazi emulation.
‘I have criticized Elon Musk many times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform,’ he wrote on X, adding: ‘But this gesture is not a Nazi salute.’
‘This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says “my heart goes out to you.”‘
