When Elon Musk sneezes the wrong way, the left demands congressional hearings—but when one of their own crosses a line, the same voices suddenly go blind, deaf, and dumb. It’s a pattern we’ve seen over and over: standards that shift depending on the target, outrage that only flows one direction, and a media machine that plays along like nothing ever happened. If you think they actually care about principles, think again.
The left’s double standard was impossible to miss this weekend when Sen. Cory Booker made what they themselves have previously described as a Nazi-style salute at the California Democratic Convention Saturday night. But instead of outrage, condemnation, or endless media coverage, Booker is being defended by the very same voices who tore into Elon Musk for a nearly identical gesture just months ago. So once again, what’s offensive depends entirely on who’s doing it—and whether there’s a “D” next to their name.
During his speech, Cory Booker placed his hand over his heart, then extended his arm outward with an open palm raised above shoulder height—a gesture virtually identical to the one that got Elon Musk branded a Nazi sympathizer by the leftist outrage mob earlier this year.
Will the media respond the same way to Cory Booker waving to the crowd as they did to Elon Musk waving to the crowd or was it all just performative nonsense when Elon did it? pic.twitter.com/Wm8cm8V31y
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 1, 2025
Even the Anti-Defamation League debunked the accusations against Musk—but the left refused to listen, and the pile-on continued.
“Wow, that sure looked like what it was,” late-night host Stephen Colbert said at the time. “Now, I don’t know if Musk intended to do a Nazi salute. He says he is not a Nazi, but what I do know is people who aren’t Nazis know how to avoid doing a Nazi salute.”
So, I guess this makes Stephen Colbert a Nazi? pic.twitter.com/NI8YcqtWqH
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) January 23, 2025
And would you believe some in the media are literally trying to nitpick differences?
“Booker’s gesture, with arm moving forward and fingers splayed, differs slightly from Musk’s—whose fingers were tight and arm moved upwards and diagonally—but clearly not enough to avoid controversy,” the Daily Beast wrote in an article that mocks the MAGA community for “melting down” over Booker’s salute.
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“Booker spoke at a Democratic convention in California on Saturday, ending his speech with a gesture where he put his hand over his heart, then extended his hand out to the crowd – much in the way Musk and Bannon did, though not as forcefully as Musk did it,” observed Newsweek.
Let’s be clear—this was never about whether either man intended to mimic a Nazi salute. Neither can credibly be accused of that. But the left and their media allies had no problem weaponizing the moment against Musk, falsely claiming it was a Nazi gesture.
Those baseless accusations quickly became an excuse for vandals to deface Tesla vehicles with swastikas, while the media leaned on the story to pressure President Trump to remove Musk from his advisory role on DOGE. There were demands for boycotts, calls for investigations, and endless media coverage painting him as the second coming of Hitler. But where are those same voices now?
This isn’t about hand gestures—it’s about the left’s selective outrage. They don’t care about consistency or truth. They care about silencing and smearing anyone who doesn’t fall in line with their ideology.
So here's the deal: Until every leftist pundit, Democratic politician, and social media activist who accused Musk of giving a Nazi salute issues a public apology, we should hold Senator Booker to the exact same standard they applied to Musk. Fair is fair.
