Elon Musk Speaks Out: Brutal Media Takedown
Media's bias laid bare: Musk faces criticism, while a Democratic senator escapes censure for the same action
In a fiery response on My View with Lara Trump, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk accused the media of character assassination. This reaction stemmed from the stark contrast in coverage between his hand gesture during President Donald Trump's inauguration and Senator Cory Booker's similar move at a California Democratic Party event.
According to a Media Research Center study, during the week following Musk's gesture, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS gave the incident a whopping 16 minutes and 17 seconds of coverage. This scrutiny of Musk continued even after the first week, with news outlets reverberating accusations of a "Nazi salute" or "Hitler salute"[1][2][5].
On the other hand, Senator Booker's equally provocative gesture at the California event went largely unnoticed by the same media outlets, along with the major broadcast networks. Even though conservatives noted similarities between the two gestures[1][2][3], the media remained unfazed.
This disparity in reporting has raised questions about potential media bias against Elon Musk, given his association with President Trump during the time of the incident. Tim Young, a Heritage Foundation media fellow, pointed out this bias as another example in a series of instances where the media shows a clear anti-Republican stance[6].
[Sources]
- Fox News. (2025, March 6). Elon Musk and Cory Booker made similar salutes but media reacted much differently. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/media/elon-musk-cory-booker-made-similar-salutes-media-reacted-differently
- Media Research Center. (2025, March 4). CNN, MSNBC and PBS dedicated 16 minutes and 17 seconds to Elon Musk hand gesture coverage. Retrieved from https://www.mrc.org/multimedia/24571138
- Times Of Israel. (2025, March 5). Elon Musk's criticized hand gesture ignored by media when Cory Booker does it. Retrieved from https://www.timesofisrael.com/elon-musks-criticized-hand-gesture-ignored-by-media-when-cory-booker-does-it/
- Forbes. (2025, March 5). Cory Booker's team downplays similar hand gesture to Elon Musk. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2025/03/05/cory-bookers-team-downplays-similar-hand-gesture-to-elon-musk/
- Business Insider. (2025, January 28). Elon Musk might have done the Nazi salute during Trump rally. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.in/Elon-Musk-might-have-done-the-Nazi-salute-during-Trump-rally/articleshow/65027281.cms
- Washington Examiner. (2025, March 6). Media watchdog calls for greater scrutiny of 'outrage culture' and 'media bias'. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/media/media-watchdog-calls-for-greater-scrutiny-of-outrage-culture-and-media-bias
- The Media Research Center's study revealed that while Elon Musk's hand gesture received extensive coverage, the same media outlets largely ignored a similar gesture by Senator Cory Booker, raising concerns about potential media bias in the coverage of politics, celebrities, and pop-culture figures.
- The disparity in the media's response to Elon Musk and Senator Cory Booker's hand gestures, as well as the ongoing scrutiny of Musk, has fueled debates about media bias and political affiliations, with some arguing that this is indicative of a broader societal issue on social-media platforms and in the realm of entertainment.
