PoliticsElon Musk Portrait Removed From German Science Museum Exhibit Amid Nazi Salute Controversy
Elon Musk gave what many are calling a 'Nazi salute' after Donald Trump's inauguration.
A science and technology museum in Germany has decided to remove a space exhibit that prominently featured Elon Musk, the billionaire and founder of SpaceX.
This action comes amidst accusations of a Nazi gesture made by Musk during a recent speech to a crowd of Trump supporters after the presidential inauguration.
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The Deutsches Museum in Munich chose to cover a portrait of Musk displayed in an exhibit showcasing "visionaries of the past and future."
The exhibit also includes portraits of German space scientists, including: Max Valier, Erik Theodor Lässig and Hermann Oberth.
Ultimately, the museum said they had decided to cover the portrait of Musk because it is "problematic to glorify living figures." Musk is the only living person included in the exhibition.
A spokesperson for the museum released a statement saying that the nature of the exhibit's design meant it was difficult to react to current news events, and changes could only be made with considerable effort.
The museum added that the information for the exhibition was also several years old.
Donald Trump put Elon in charge of a new department — DOGE.
Musk, who is the world's richest man in the world, has been forced to address allegations that he made a Nazi gesture just one day into Donald Trump's second administration.
The Tesla billionaire took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to call out people describing his gesture as a "Nazi salute" on Monday night, stating, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
He has previously denied that he is antisemitic or that he is politically aligned with Nazism or fascism. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which combats antisemitism, came out and defended the tech bro and said Musk's gesture was not a Nazi salute.
The moment sparked reactions worldwide, with Russian state TV blurring out the alleged salute. In Russia, there are strict laws against Nazi symbols. Meanwhile, an image of Musk making the salute was projected onto Tesla's Gigafactory in Berlin on Monday alongside the words "Heil Tesla."
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Elon Musk donated millions to get Donald Trump elected.
Musk has been a divisive figure in Germany. While he is regarded as a massive job creator in the country, employing thousands of people at Tesla's Berlin Gigafactory, he has also faced heavy criticism since he bought Twitter in 2022.
Elon Musk's portrait was covered at a German museum.
A representative for the museum released a statement, claiming, "We already decided in mid-November to no longer show this exhibition installation because we were unable to update or contextualize the exhibition content due to the exhibition design. Elon Musk is therefore no longer on display in the space exhibition. The content for this part of the exhibition was created several years ago."
"It can always be problematic to pay tribute to people who are still alive in such a prominent position in an exhibition, because such a presentation can be seen as an uncritical tribute. And a person's lifetime achievements can often only be correctly assessed in retrospect," the rep continued. "There is only room for a few lines of text on the exhibition panel, which does not allow a comprehensive historical portrayal of a person or the classification of their life's achievements."
