Press

NPR: Elon Musk tried to turn the salute controversy into a joke

May 28, 2026 Melissa Ryan 1 min read

I spoke with NPR about Elon Musk’s response to the controversy surrounding his salute gesture at a recent event. As I told NPR: “As long as we’re having the debate, it makes it easier for the next person to insert hateful ideology into the discourse.”

Bad-faith actors have long used humor and plausible deniability to normalize extremist gestures and shield themselves from accountability. This is a well-documented tactic in far-right organizing.

Read the full story on NPR.org.


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