Jon Stewart is reluctant to name Elon Musk's inauguration gesture on The Daily Show

The Trump Administration reboot really hit the ground running on Monday, with so many head-spinning details it must’ve been hard for the post game pundits to figure out what to focus on. Jon Stewart took to the task on The Daily Show by snarking about the technocrat audience at the inauguration. “Shouldn’t this gathering be happening in a volcano’s lair near Zurich?” the comedian joked. “Or are we just open-sourcing the Illuminati now?”

Of course, one of those tech billionaires received the most attention on inauguration day: Elon Musk, the new head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE, cue eye roll). Musk sparked controversy with a very emphatic hand gesture that looked a whole lot like a Nazi salute. “Charitably, I’m going to say that was just an awkward ‘my heart goes out to you’ gesture,” Stewart said uneasily. “But, listen, it’s a fucking nerve-wracking day. You’re not normally a public speaker. It’s a one-off gesture. Please try not to use it again.”

As you probably know, Musk did do it again almost immediately. “Son of bitch,” Stewart reacted. “You really want to make sure the people in the back see it, I guess. I’m just going to be generous and say maybe that was Elon’s attempt at dabbing on the haters.”

Stewart’s reluctance to use the phrase “Nazi salute” echoes the conversation that has sparked around the gesture online, where observers are divided over Musk’s actual intent. Many, including Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, condemned the gesture as an overt signal to the far right. Others, including the Anti-Defamation League, argued against that interpretation. Musk “made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” the ADL posted on Twitter/X. “In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.” Musk didn’t explicitly confirm or deny his intention behind the gesture. He did respond to several posts about it on his social media platform, including to thank the ADL. “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he wrote of his critics. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

Basically, it’s been a big ol’ barrel of laughs so far! You can check out Stewart’s full Daily Show recap below.