Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democrat, has drawn criticism from right-wing commentators and social media after making a gesture that bears similarity to the controversial one previously made by Elon Musk and Steve Bannon, for which they faced heavy backlash.
Newsweek reached out to Booker’s office and Elon Musk by email outside of normal business hours on Saturday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
Musk during President Donald Trump‘s second inauguration in January made a gesture that many claimed was a Nazi salute, while the tech mogul and his allies defended it as a harmless and well-intentioned gesture meaning “my heart goes out to you.” Musk made the gesture twice.
Musk responded at the time to the criticism with a message on X, saying: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Bannon, host of the influential War Room podcast and former White House strategist, then made a similar gesture during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February and saying, “fight, fight, fight.”
Supporters of Musk and Bannon have also claimed that the pair have made a “Roman salute,” which was depicted in 18th and 19th-century art, but there is no historical evidence from ancient Rome that it was a common practice.
What To Know
Booker spoke at a Democratic convention in California on Saturday, ending his speech with a gesture where he put his hand over his heart, then extended his hand out to the crowd – much in the way Musk and Bannon did, though not as forcefully as Musk did it.
The video was first posted by Richie Greenberg, a San Francisco-based political commentator and former GOP mayoral candidate for the city, and quickly spread among MAGA-social media.
Moments ago, Cory Booker salutes 4,000 CA Democrat Party delegates. pic.twitter.com/5il76AeGhX
— Richie Greenberg (@greenbergnation) May 31, 2025
Greenberg posted the video with the caption: “Moments ago, Cory Booker salutes 4,000 CA Democrat Party delegates.”
Collin Rugg, co-owner of conservative news site Trending Politics, reposted the video, adding that he is “looking forward to the wall to wall coverage from the “honest” and totally not biased media.”
Social media influencer Gunther Eagleman wrote that Booker was a “straight up NAZI,” adding “WOW” and “HOLY S***!”
Right-wing journalist Nick Sortor similarly piled in with the video, writing that Booker made a “Nazi salute” and calling him “literally Hitler” for doing so.
Booker has garnered much attention since his record-setting speech, remaining on the Senate floor and continuing to speak for 25 hours and five minutes, surpassing the previous record held by Senator Strom Thurmond in 1957.
Booker used his time to protest Trump and Republican policies, invoking the late Representative John Lewis of Georgia and the need for “good trouble” in times of crisis.
The speech earned Booker some goodwill, which was reflected in a recent poll released by AtlasIntel, which found him the fourth-leading candidate among Democratic voters for a potential 2028 presidential nominee, ranking just behind Pete Buttigieg, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Kamala Harris.
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