Eyes down for another round of ‘Nazi Salute Excuse Bingo’ as Steve Bannon joins the Elon Musk club
Maya Angelou famously said “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Trump’s cohort of advisers and supporters keep showing us who they are, and Steve Bannon – former investment banker, ex-White House Chief Strategist, and founder of the far-right Breitbart News – is the latest to leave no doubt in people’s minds about what he is.
Here's video of Steve Bannon doing a Sieg Heil today at CPAC. It is what it is and it's what Bannon intended. Don't let yourself be gaslit. pic.twitter.com/LDT2kU43ZV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 21, 2025
When Elon Musk made a Nazi salute in the euphoria of a post-inauguration Trump rally, there were various claims and excuses about how it was actually a ‘Roman salute’, it was because of his autism, or he was just sending his heart out to the crowd – none of which were credible.
Trump and Musk supporters also used stills of left-leaning and centrist politicians to try and suggest the same accusation could be levelled at them. We await the latest round of gaslighting with interest.
1.
Steve Bannon's heart goes out to you all.
But in all seriousness, they're normalizing fascism. pic.twitter.com/CBtJb289Xo
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) February 21, 2025
2.
Steve Bannon does a NAZI salute at the end of his CPAC speech. Someone try and convince me that he didn’t. pic.twitter.com/A2yo4djJzU
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) February 21, 2025
3.
Steve Bannon, after calling for Trump to be President for life, did a Nazi salute on stage at CPAC.
Nazism has officially taken over the GOP.
The few remaining conservatives have a choice: either leave the party and obstruct it—or choose to be complicit.pic.twitter.com/94o5Kj69Le
— Joshua Reed Eakle (@JoshEakle) February 21, 2025
4.
Steve Bannon definitely did a Nazi salute at CPAC.
Vile.pic.twitter.com/VVvbzsMYvc
— Art Candee (@ArtCandee) February 21, 2025
5.
First musk. Now Steve Bannon. America. You have a nazi problem. I say this with no exaggeration. pic.twitter.com/PIrbnTUwYw
— Кобзар (@CanadianKobzar) February 21, 2025
6.
Sure, room for debate, could be a coincidence, a Roman salute, or maybe a wave gone wrong?
Occam’s razor: walks like a duck, talks like a duck
They know what it is, they know who’s watching
Ducks don’t need to spell it out—they just waddle on— Prof Ray Wills (@ProfRayWills) February 21, 2025
7.
Some leaders claim that calling this out will somehow be a distraction.
If you don’t see how this is part of a broader normalization of extremism – hand in hand with dehumanizing policies & attacks on democratic norms – I’m not sure what to tell you. We know where this all leads https://t.co/rvcmkqzbFr
— Amy Spitalnick (@amyspitalnick) February 21, 2025
8.
And if you believe this was accidental I have a solid gold toilet at Mar-A-Lago to sell you.
— Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) February 21, 2025
9.
Will they say he has Aspergers too or is this a love gesture
— Candidly Tiff (@tify330) February 21, 2025
10.
Will the @ADL defend Steve Bannon’s Nazi salute?
Will they defend me with the soon to come antisemitic comments … pic.twitter.com/QkP4OwaN2k
— Outspoken™️ (@Out5p0ken) February 21, 2025
11.
Steve Bannon is just Elon Musk aged up 18 years… pic.twitter.com/9ontuQu7fj
— eric jacobson (@ejacobson) February 21, 2025
12.
Trump ripping up the constitution, Elon Musk and Steve Bannon doing Nazi salutes, people all around the world dying after having their necessary aid taken away, Social Security and Medicare being targeted, and more.
Donald Trump’s America.
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) February 21, 2025
13.
Doing a Nazi salute isn’t ironic when you are a Nazi pic.twitter.com/RPIeHFBOdi
— evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) February 21, 2025
14.
Fuck you Steve Bannon. And the crowd cheers. Fuck them too.
SOMEONE STOP THIS SHIT! https://t.co/RqX4OkfPQk
— Greg (@GregZajac1) February 21, 2025
Wajahat Ali had a challenge for the Trump and Musk cultists trying to explain away the administration’s goose-step rightwards.
All Republicans defending Bannon and Musk's "Roman Salute," please do it live on TV. If it's harmless, you should have no problem doing it. https://t.co/RilGfvnPw5
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 21, 2025
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Source Aaron Rupar Image Screengrab