Tech mogul Elon Musk criticized “legacy media” over the weekend, accusing them of hypocrisy in their coverage of Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) recent arm gestures after they had previously scrutinized Musk for similar actions.
While speaking at the Democratic Congress in California on Saturday, Booker placed his hand on his heart and then extended his arm towards the audience.
The moment quickly gained traction on social media, particularly a video that resurfaced of Musk using similar arm gestures on inauguration day. Back in January, Musk’s gesture was heavily covered as questions arose about whether he had made a Nazi salute.
On Sunday, Musk shared a screenshot that contrasted the media headlines regarding both Musk and Booker’s gestures, stating on social platform X that “Legacy Media Lies.”
A follower, whose post Musk shared, remarked on how mainstream media treated Musk’s actions versus their defense of Booker’s similar gestures.
In a further repost comparing headlines from Newsweek, Musk commented, “Fate loves irony, but hates hypocrisy.”
He went on to say, “Legacy media like Newsweek are lying mercilessly.”
Newsweek opted not to respond to the criticisms.
Musk labeled “Legacy Media” as “one big PSY OP,” and shared another post detailing which significant outlets overlooked Booker’s gestures but scrutinized Musk’s earlier this year.
He also reposted an image highlighting prominent Democrats—like former President Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris—making similar gestures in their speeches, which amused him.
One user joked, “I know where Cory Booker learned his Nazi salute from,” and Musk responded with a raised face emoji.
Musk continued to share posts from users who criticized the lack of scrutiny towards Booker, with one asserting that if Musk was labeled a Nazi for his gestures, then so should Booker be.
A spokesman for Booker stated that the senator was “clearly just waving at the crowd,” adding that anyone equating his gestures with Musk’s was obviously biased.
Musk has been vocal in his criticism of various media outlets regarding their coverage. In a recent CNBC interview, he described their reporting on him as “legacy media propaganda,” especially since he entered political discussions.
When confronted with this specific example, Musk remarked, “I can’t help but argue that I am somehow linked to Nazis because of random hand gestures while my mind was focused elsewhere. I was discussing space travel, yet the legacy media portrayed it as a deliberate Nazi gesture.”
