This Man is a Nazi.

The evidence is now undeniable. In front of thousands at Donald Trump's inauguration rally, Elon Musk - the world's richest man and owner of X - performed not one but two Nazi salutes. Historians and experts who study fascist movements were unequivocal in their assessment. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history at New York University, said "It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one, too."

The gesture was immediately met with celebration among neo-Nazi groups, with the leader of the Blood Tribe, Christopher Pohlhaus, declaring his joy and the neo-Nazi forum Stormfront featuring the image under "Heil Hitler."

This wasn't an isolated incident. It was not a misunderstanding. It was the culmination of years of increasingly overt Nazi behavior from a man who controls both vast wealth and one of the world's largest communication platforms.

After spending $200 million to help return Donald Trump to power, Musk has systematically supported far-right movements across the globe. Most tellingly, he's thrown his full support behind Germany's AfD party - a far-right movement whose leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has been repeatedly convicted of using Nazi slogans at political events. Höcke, a former history teacher, has actively worked to dismantle Germany's culture of Holocaust remembrance.

The transformation of Twitter under Musk's control reveals the playbook in action. Musk forced the reinstatement of accounts banned for Nazi rhetoric and hate speech. He pushed for the amplification of antisemitic conspiracy theories, including his own endorsement of posts claiming Jewish communities were pushing "hatred against whites" - classic Nazi propaganda repackaged for the social media age. When confronted about spreading antisemitic content, Musk attacked the Anti-Defamation League, blaming them for falling advertising revenue in another echo of Nazi scapegoating.

Attempts to defend these actions follow a familiar pattern. Musk's supporters, either wilfully obtuse or Nazis themselves - a distinction which amounts to largely the same thing - tried to rebrand the Nazi salute as a "Roman salute" - a historical fiction created in the 19th century and later adopted by Mussolini's fascists. Others blamed his autism for "awkward gestures." These excuses collapse under the weight of context: the systematic promotion of Nazi ideology, the deliberate spread of antisemitic conspiracy theories, and the enthusiastic support of far-right movements that use Nazi slogans.

Look at the sequence. Open endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories. Financial and platform support for far-right movements. Public use of Nazi gestures at political rallies. Celebration by neo-Nazi groups. Defense through historical revisionism. Musk isn't just flirting with Nazi ideology - he is embracing it while maintaining barely enough plausible deniability to scrape by a craven press and a gullible public and avoid consequences.

The historical parallels are brutal. In 1920s Germany, wealthy industrialists provided crucial support to the Nazi party, seeing it as a bulwark against communism and a tool for maintaining their power. Today, we watch a tech billionaire systematically promote Nazi ideology while controlling a global communication platform that reaches hundreds of millions. His wealth gives him immunity from consequences. His platform gives him the power to shape public discourse and his actions give neo-Nazi groups the legitimacy they crave.

When Musk amplifies antisemitic conspiracy theories, they reach millions instantly. When he supports far-right movements, his platform's algorithms ensure maximum visibility. When he performs Nazi salutes, his supporters can immediately begin the work of historical revision and reality distortion.

The tech industry's obsession with "free speech absolutism" has provided the perfect cover. By framing the systematic promotion of Nazi ideology as a defense of free expression, Musk has created a smokescreen for the deliberate amplification of hate. His platform now serves as a global distribution network for Nazi rhetoric, with its owner leading by example.

We've seen this B-grade hack job script before. The gradual normalization of extreme ideas. The strategic use of plausible deniability. The exploitation of free speech arguments to protect hate speech. The difference is that never since the horrors of WW2 has a Nazi sympathizer controlled both vast wealth and a global communication platform. Never before has the ideology had such powerful tools for spreading its poison.

Some will say this analysis goes too far. They'll argue for the endless benefit of the doubt, for generous interpretations of each action in isolation. But the pattern is clear to anyone willing to see it. When someone shows you who they are through sustained action, believe them. When they openly perform Nazi salutes, support Nazi-adjacent political movements, spread Nazi conspiracy theories, and provide a platform for Nazi rhetoric, it's time to state the obvious: This is what a 21st-century Nazi looks like. He just happens to own rockets, electric cars, and the means to spread his ideology globally.

The world's richest man is a Nazi. The evidence is right in front of us. What are we going to do about it?