Elon Musk Drags Obama Kamala and Hillary Into Media War After Exposing Hypocrisy

In a weekend firestorm that reignited his long-standing war with the press, tech mogul Elon Musk escalated his attacks against what he dubs “legacy media,” accusing them of blatant hypocrisy and ideological manipulation. The latest trigger?

A viral video of Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) performing a hand gesture nearly identical to one Musk made earlier this year—one that resulted in a media frenzy branding him a fascist sympathizer. But when Booker did the same gesture, the press remained largely silent. For Musk, it was the last straw.

The controversy began when Senator Booker took the stage at the California Democratic Convention and, in the middle of an impassioned speech, placed his hand over his heart and extended his arm forward in a sweeping motion to the audience. While his supporters brushed it off as a common gesture used to express heartfelt connection, critics quickly drew parallels to the controversial moment earlier this year when Elon Musk made a strikingly similar gesture during Inauguration Day remarks.

That gesture, performed in front of cameras and a live crowd, was immediately dissected across major media platforms. The headlines were brutal—Musk was accused of mimicking a Nazi salute, with op-eds, news anchors, and online pundits calling for accountability. Musk denied the accusations at the time, asserting that his intention was simply to express solidarity and emotion. But the fallout lingered, branding him with the stain of extremism in the eyes of many.

Now, with Cory Booker’s gesture receiving little more than a shrug from the same media outlets that vilified Musk, the billionaire has gone on the offensive. Over the weekend, Musk unleashed a barrage of reposts, captions, and commentary on his social media platform X, accusing the press of running a coordinated campaign to distort narratives based on political affiliation.

“Legacy media lies,” Musk declared in one of many posts, alongside screenshots comparing headlines about himself and Booker. In a separate repost, Musk added, “Fate loves irony, but hates hypocrisy,” referencing a Newsweek article that had previously questioned his gesture but failed to cover Booker’s.

Taking the fight to the next level, Musk began reposting content from users who highlighted previous instances of prominent Democrats making similar gestures during speeches. A collage of photos featuring Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton with their arms outstretched during public addresses was shared widely.

One user captioned the collage with the sarcastic comment, “We know where Cory Booker learned his Nazi salute from.” Musk reposted the image with a raised-eyebrow emoji—signaling both skepticism and mockery. While none of the figures in the collage have been accused of harboring extremist intentions, Musk’s repost framed the issue not as one of gestures but of media fairness—or lack thereof.

The backlash from Musk’s side of the aisle was swift and unrelenting. Conservative influencers, free-speech advocates, and populist figures rallied around Musk’s claims, accusing the media of operating under a double standard that punishes dissenters and shields allies. One widely shared post read, “If Elon Musk is a Nazi for doing this gesture…Cory Booker is one too. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.” Musk reposted it as well, further fueling the flames. To Musk, the issue is no longer just about a hand gesture—it’s about trust, truth, and the battle over narrative control.

In response to the spreading backlash, Booker’s team issued a statement dismissing the comparison as disingenuous. “Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk’s gesture is operating in bad faith,” said Maya Krishna-Rogers, a spokesperson for Booker. “The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda.” The comment aimed to draw a clear line between the context and intent of the two gestures.

Yet for Musk and his growing number of supporters in anti-establishment and libertarian circles, such rebuttals fall flat. To them, the issue is not intent, but treatment. Why, they ask, did media headlines portray Musk as a fascist while completely ignoring an identical movement made by Booker?

The controversy is part of a broader pattern. Musk’s animosity toward the mainstream media has deepened in recent years, particularly after his acquisition of Twitter—now rebranded as X—turned the platform into a frontline for ideological combat. In a recent CNBC interview, Musk openly accused the media of operating a propaganda machine. “That I’m a Nazi, for example,” he said, citing how multiple outlets framed his Inauguration Day gesture.

“And how many legacy media publications, talk shows, whatever, try to claim that I was a Nazi because of some random hand gesture at a rally where all I said was that my heart goes out to you.”

Musk elaborated that he was discussing space travel during the event, not ideology or history, and that the gesture was a spontaneous movement—a visual way of expressing emotion. “Every politician, any public speaker who’s spoken for any length of time, has made the exact same gesture,” he added. This, for Musk, is the crux of the hypocrisy. If the gesture is benign for Booker, Harris, or Obama, why is it dangerous when Musk does it?

To his critics, Musk’s arguments are a distraction, a red herring meant to divert attention from his erratic behavior and controversial statements. They argue that Musk’s increasing alignment with right-wing figures, his promotion of conspiracy theories, and his growing influence in political discourse make his gestures more potent and potentially more loaded. But Musk’s defenders counter that intent must either matter for everyone—or for no one. If public figures are to be judged by the optics of a single moment, then the standard must be applied evenly.

The involvement of Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton in Musk’s rhetorical counteroffensive marks a new phase in his media war. By dragging some of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable faces into the debate, Musk is forcing a reckoning over media consistency.

While it’s unlikely that any of the individuals depicted in the images Musk reposted will respond directly, their inclusion serves a strategic purpose. It frames the discussion not around Musk as an individual, but around the idea of selective enforcement. The message is clear: the media will protect its own while punishing outsiders.

All of this is happening under the administration of President Donald Trump, whose return to the White House has further polarized the American media environment. Trump himself has long waged his own war against legacy media, frequently accusing outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and MSNBC of lying to the public.

With Musk echoing similar grievances, the line between tech titan and political ally continues to blur. What was once a media spat between a billionaire and a few journalists has now morphed into a much larger political narrative—one in which Musk stands as a cultural symbol for those who believe America’s institutions are rigged against them.

This incident is emblematic of a broader realignment in American political media. As figures like Musk, Tucker Carlson, and Trump continue to build alternative platforms and audiences, the ability of traditional media to control the narrative is being eroded. In that context, Musk’s aggressive social media campaign can be seen not just as a personal defense, but as a challenge to the old order.

His message is simple but potent: if you're going to call me a Nazi, you better be prepared to call your own side the same.

For now, the outrage machine churns on. Musk shows no signs of retreating, and each post, each screenshot, each eyebrow-emoji-laced repost adds fuel to the growing fire of distrust toward establishment media. Whether or not the gesture in question had any deeper meaning is now irrelevant.

The real story, at least in Musk’s eyes—and in the eyes of millions who follow him—is that the media no longer reports the news. It shapes it. And if you’re not on their side, the rules don’t apply the same way.

This isn’t just a war over hand gestures. It’s a battle over truth, control, and who gets to decide what’s acceptable in the public arena. Elon Musk may have started it with a single motion, but the media’s reaction—and now, their silence—ensured it would become something much bigger.