Trump and Musk’s Golden Era: An Imminent Threat to Democracy and Equality

The New America: image of Elon Musk gesturing a Nazi salute directed towards and image of U.S. President Donald J. Trump with an American flag waving in the background. — Standing behind a podium adorned with the seal of the President of the United States of America, South African-born Elon Musk raises his right hand at Trump’s Inaugural rally inside Capitol One Arena in Washington DC. Many believe this gesture to be the Roman salute, also more infamously known as the fascist or Nazi salute.

On January 20, 2025, history took a chilling turn as Elon Musk stood behind the presidential podium at Trump’s inaugural rally in Washington, D.C., and raised his right hand in what many interpreted as a Roman salute—infamously associated with fascist and Nazi ideology. The gesture, made twice that evening, sparked immediate outrage. Musk dismissed the backlash on X (formerly Twitter) with characteristic defiance, writing, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.” The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) downplayed Musk’s gesture as merely “an awkward response in a moment of enthusiasm.” Was their lame excuse for the Nazi gesture because Elon Musk threatened to sue the ADL in 2023 for up to $22 billion, alleging that their accusations of antisemitism against him had led to a 60% decline in advertising revenue on his platform, X? Hmmm.

Given Musk’s history, I firmly believe his Nazi-style salute was no accident. In my view, it was a deliberate and calculated act—a conclusion I will substantiate with detailed reasoning throughout the remainder of this article.

The ADL should be ashamed for defending Elon Musk’s Nazi salute with the feeble excuse that it was merely “an awkward response in a moment of enthusiam.”

Elon Musk: Appealing To White Nationalists At Every Turn

Let’s consider Musk’s gesture in conjunction with his statement right before the salute, saying, “This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization… This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you.” What fork in the road was Musk referring to? Whose civilization was at stake? To find these answers, Musk’s words and Nazi-style salute must be evaluated within the broader context of his actions, history, and associations.

Elon Musk reportedly donated an estimated $250 million to Trump’s reelection campaign and has a documented history of antisemitic remarks. His company, Tesla, was sued and found guilty of discriminating against a Black worker, and it currently faces two additional discrimination lawsuits—filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—alleging further mistreatment of Black employees. Following his acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X, the platform has devolved into a haven for hate speech and bigotry, where the n-word and other offensive slurs proliferate under the pretext of “free speech.” To this troubling record, one must also add his recent public support for Germany’s racist, far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Elon’s Upbringing in South Africa

We also need to consider Musk’s childhood. Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, during the apartheid era. He grew up in a wealthy family. His father, Errol Musk, was an electromechanical engineer and property developer, while his mother, Maye Musk, worked as a model and dietitian. Elon’s parents divorced when he was 10, and he lived with his father until age 17. He moved to Canada in 1988 after obtaining Canadian citizenship through his mother. This move allowed him to avoid mandatory military service in South Africa.

Musk’s move to Canada occurred two years before the release of South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990. It would be another four years until the end of apartheid in 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections, allowing all citizens to vote regardless of their race.

Elon Musk’s maternal grandparents were reportedly avid Nazi sympathizers, with his grandfather, Joshua Norman Haldeman, documented as a pro-apartheid and antisemitic figure. According to Jill Lepore’s September 19, 2023, article in The New Yorker, titled The World According to Elon Musk’s Grandfather, Haldeman actively wrote about his controversial beliefs. The article also reveals that Musk admitted his acquisition of Twitter (now X) was motivated, in part, by a desire to combat what he referred to as the “woke mind virus,” thereby amplifying voices on the platform that align with such ideologies. He bought Twitter to change the mindset of America.

Growing up as a privileged member of an apartheid society undoubtedly leaves an indelible mark on one’s mindset and beliefs. While it is impossible to fully articulate the impact this environment might have had on Elon Musk, his actions since rising to prominence as an entrepreneur reveal a glaring omission: he has not said or done anything meaningful to address the injustices of apartheid, a system he witnessed firsthand. He has shown no advocacy for the principles of inclusion or equity. On the contrary, Musk’s behavior increasingly echoes the ideologies of far-right extremists—individuals who actively uphold and perpetuate systems of oppression, such as apartheid.

Musk’s controversial salute is far more than an “awkward gesture.” At best, it might be dismissed as a Freudian slip; at worst, it was a calculated and deliberate act. Given Musk’s reputation as a highly intelligent and worldly figure, it is difficult to believe this was accidental. The fact that he repeated the gesture in the exact same manner only reinforces the intentionality of his actions. Furthermore, his dismissive and flippant response on X to the public outcry not only dismissed valid concerns but also amplified his appeal among the far-right and white nationalists—a demographic he appears keen to court.

The ADL should be ashamed for defending Elon Musk with the feeble excuse that it was merely “an awkward response in a moment of enthusiasm.”

The Elon Musk Agenda: Capitalizing on White Fear To Gain More Wealth and Power

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, along with his cohorts, envision a planet where the world’s most powerful nations are governed by authoritarian oligarchies dominated by mega-corporations and the super-wealthy elite—systems where those in charge are not beholden to the will of the voters. This undemocratic, authoritarian model resonates with white nationalist movements in America, Europe, and South America, as it diminishes their fears of the political and societal influence of the rapidly growing, economically advancing nonwhite populations in these regions.

This white fear is both real and palpable, making this segment of American society particularly susceptible to manipulation by those seeking power. Similar to trends observed in Europe, many white Americans are deeply apprehensive about their shrinking majority status, a concern exacerbated by declining white birth rates and the steady increase in nonwhite immigration. Elon Musk’s “fork in the road of human civilization“ statement eludes to the fear of the white human civilization succumbing to the influence and control of the world’s nonwhite majority population.

Neither the United States nor the rest of the world has fully reckoned with the issue of race—a social construct devised by Europeans and perfected in America to classify people by skin color, with “whiteness“ elevated as the ultimate standard. This system conferred privilege and status upon white individuals and their descendants, forever embedding systemic inequality into the fabric of society—a legacy that continues to shape the disparities we face today. Against this backdrop, Trump and Musk consistently pander to white extremists, throwing them symbolic bones to maintain the loyalty of their base.

Musk’s Nazi Gesture Is Another Bone for the White Nationalists

Musk’s Nazi salute gesture was a bone for the white extremists, who immediately understood what he meant, as evidenced by their jubilantly posting the image on their web platforms and social media messages to one another.

“We are at the fork in the road.‘ Trump must win, or it will be too late!“ Throughout Trump’s presidential campaign, Elon Musk repeated variations of this fear-mongering rhetoric numerous times. It was all about stoking fear to rally the base.

Trump presented a clear vision of the future for America by inviting numerous billionaires to his inauguration, showcasing them prominently for the entire world to observe. He even established a fully funded new government agency for Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to lead, setting an example for democracies around the globe to follow.

Trump’s Golden Era: A Dark Age In American History

The decline and eventual fall of American democracy was sealed at noon on January 20, 2025, heralding the dawn of Trump’s so-called “Golden Era.“ What lies ahead “will undoubtedly be turbulent, as revolutions—regardless of their guise—are rarely anything but chaotic and destructive. And you can bet that Trump and Musk will masterfully stoke division, throwing crumbs to their base to fuel racial conflict. The calculated distractions will provide the perfect cover for their relentless looting of government coffers, consolidating their wealth and power while the public remains distracted.

Once America’s democracy falls, the rest of the world will follow, spiraling into a grim reality where white supremacy thrives unchecked, and governing power is hoarded by unelected mega-corporations and an authoritarian oligarchy of the super-wealthy. Nonwhite nations will remain vulnerable, exploited for their natural resources and cheap labor, perpetuating a global system of inequality and oppression. China—the sole nonwhite nation with the potential to counterbalance this rising tide—stands at the balance. Unfortunately, they are not a democracy, so despite being robust and advanced, their nation is a source of some of the cheapest labor on Earth. One day, China’s dilemma will become the fate of American citizens if Musk and his cohorts get their way.

Elon Musk has openly expressed his desire to dismantle the National Labor Relations Act, underscoring his disdain for unions. Without unions, employees lose collective bargaining power for fair wages and benefits, resulting in lower pay and heightened risks of unsafe working conditions. This creates the ideal environment for cheap labor that big corporations relentlessly pursue, prioritizing profit over worker well-being.

It remains baffling that so many of the nation’s unions supported Trump despite his openly expressed disdain for unions—union-busting views he shares with Elon Musk.

The Disaster That’s Already At Hand

In Trump’s so-called Golden Era, the dystopian reality would be one of despair and oppression. For the marginalized and downtrodden, hope would become a distant memory, extinguished by the erosion of voting rights, the elimination of inclusion efforts based on race, color, religion, sex, and natural origin, and the dismantling of democratic institutions. While Elon Musk ascends to trillionaire status, Trump, his family, and their inner circle would grow fat on taxpayer dollars, indulging in unchecked corruption.

The military would no longer serve the people but instead be wielded by Musk/Trump as a weapon against them—used to crush dissent, hunt immigrants, and maintain internment camps. The wealth gap would swell to grotesque proportions, condemning the majority to ceaseless hardship while an elite minority consolidates power, transforming the nation into an increasingly oppressive and unequal society.

Just today (January 21, 2025), President Donald Trump signed an executive order to terminate all Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs within the federal government. This directive mandates federal agencies to dismantle DEIA initiatives and place all associated staff on paid administrative leave by 5:00 p.m. on January 22, 2025, with plans for eventual layoffs. The administration asserts that this move aims to return to a strictly merit-based system while also arguing that DEIA programs constitute “illegal and immoral discrimination” (against white people).

On his first day in office, Trump pardoned all the January 6 insurrectionists—even the most violent ones who attacked police personnel. Trump and Musk keep throwing those bones, and now they have a ready-made militia to do their dirty work. In addition, on January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to conduct arrests of undocumented immigrants within previously protected “sensitive locations,” including churches, schools, and hospitals.

I could say that Trump’s actions are unbelievable, but I know better.

No, this is not the heralding of a golden age but the onset of a suffocating darkness. What was once the American dream will twist into a nightmarish reality. The America we once cherished—imperfect but aspiring towards perfection—will vanish, and with it, your vote, your voice, and the very essence of democracy itself.

The power to stop Musk and Trump rests in the hands of the American people through both individual and collective action. It requires unwavering determination and a united commitment to preserving democracy, equality, and justice. Together, we have the ability to steer the nation away from this dark trajectory and work toward a brighter, more equitable future. But the time to act is now—this is not a moment for complacency or passive observation. What is happening is far from normal, and we cannot afford to stand idly by.

America now confronts the alarming reality of an unelected billionaire, bolstered by billions in government contracts, dictating the allocation of our hard-earned tax dollars. This is someone who prioritizes personal ventures—like colonizing Mars—over essential social and health programs, slashing critical benefits to fund his grandiose projects. Make no mistake, this is a blatant unprecedented power and money grab by the ultra-wealthy, consolidating their control at the expense of the people. This is our moment of reckoning—each one must rise, unite, and take decisive action before it’s too late!