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3mo ago

Booker and Musk Gestures Expose Perceived Media Double Standard

Mainstream outlets fiercely condemned Elon Musk’s arm motion in January for alleged Nazi symbolism; they have largely ignored a nearly identical gesture by Sen. Cory Booker at the California Democratic convention.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democrats policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) listens as U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters following the weekly Senate Democrat policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on April 29, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Los Angeles, CA - May 31: Democratic Sen. Cory Booker speaks at the Calif. Democratic convention at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday, May 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks at the California Democratic Party's 2025 State Convention

Overview

  • Sen. Cory Booker concluded his California Democratic Party convention speech on May 31 with a hand-over-heart motion followed by an arm extension that critics equate with a Nazi salute.
  • Booker’s office dismissed the allegations, with spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers calling it a wave and accusing detractors of acting in bad faith.
  • Conservative influencers circulated side-by-side clips of Booker and Elon Musk’s January inauguration gesture to spotlight what they say is a partisan media double standard.
  • Elon Musk amplified the critique on X, labeling mainstream outlets a “legacy media psy op” for downplaying Booker’s gesture after framing his own similar motion as extremist.
  • The Anti-Defamation League previously defended Musk’s salute as an awkward enthusiasm gesture and has not publicly addressed Booker’s arm motion.