At Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, tech billionaire Elon Musk twice raised his right arm in a gesture many interpreted as a Nazi salute. Musk dismissed the criticism as "tired" hyperbole. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) downplayed the gestures as “an awkward moment of enthusiasm.” Others have connected the gestures to his subsequent statement that “my heart goes out to you.” Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley said any resemblance to a Nazi salute by Musk was no accident.
“He intentionally did this,” Stanley said, referring to Musk's gesture.
Stanley, the author of the new book "Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future," argues that Musk’s actions — and the subsequent reactions — underscore a troubling dynamic in modern politics.
“My suspicion is that he’s trolling,” Stanley said. “The idea is, let’s get liberals into a kerfuffle about whether or not we’re fascists or Ku Klux Klan members or whatever, and then we can laugh at them while they flail around.”
But Stanley insists such gestures are more than mere provocations.
“When you troll with these ideologies, when you play around with this ideology in a mocking way in order to ‘own the libs,’ you’re also giving this ideology public attention,” he explained.
This normalization, he warned, feeds into a broader pattern where fascist ideologies are deliberately smuggled into mainstream discourse, often cloaked in irony or deflection.
The fascist playbook
Stanley draws on history to identify alarming parallels between Trump’s movement and classic fascist strategies. Asked whether Trump and his allies are following a “fascist playbook,” Stanley didn’t hesitate.
“Oh my God, yeah,” he said, pointing first to the ongoing effort to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, 2021. “They’re going to try to make it into a great patriotic event. I wouldn’t be surprised if down the road, they try to make it into some kind of national holiday.”
Stanley also criticized the Trump administration’s attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“There’s an attempt to wipe clean the equality of Black perspectives, of LGBTQ perspectives. Any time Black people in positions of power are outspoken, they’re accused of being DEI hires,” he noted. “The claim that equality is discrimination seems to be a very major part of this administration.”
Stanley added that the ongoing push to outlaw what have been labeled divisive concepts in schools — such as lessons on structural racism — further reflects fascist ambitions to control public memory.
"The redlining of mortgages happened,” Stanley said. “But if you teach it in universities or high schools, now you could be fired.”
Perhaps most concerning to Stanley is Trump’s stated view that education should serve as a tool for instilling patriotism.
“[Trump said] the purpose of education is to make people regard that the nation is great,” Stanley paraphrased. “This is straight fascism.”
Democracy on the brink
Stanley’s study of authoritarianism leaves him pessimistic about democracy’s future.
“Democracy is fleeting. It hasn’t existed long,” he said. He noted that political philosophy dating back to Plato warns of the allure of strongman leaders.
“In democratic elections, authoritarian strongmen will always win,” he said. “So democracy is very fragile.”
Globally, Stanley sees troubling signs. “What we’re seeing is a rollback of democracy worldwide,” he explained, citing fear of immigrants and LGBTQ+ citizens as common tools for rallying authoritarian support. “We face a moment where democracy might be something in the past.”
A glimmer of hope
Despite his grim analysis, Stanley sees reasons for cautious optimism. He points to the United States’ history of overcoming Jim Crow laws through nonviolent resistance as proof that even deeply entrenched systems of oppression can be challenged.
“If we think of Jim Crow as a fascist regime, which many do, we live in a country where we defeated fascism in a non-violent way,” he said.
Stanley also highlighted Ukraine’s fight against Russian authoritarianism as an example of democratic resilience.
“Some people, depending on the spirit of their country, get sick of losing the capacity to replace leaders,” he said. “The history of the United States, to me, suggests that we’re one such country.”
Ultimately, Stanley believes the future depends on collective action.
“It depends on us,” he concluded.
