This Isn’t “Misinformation.” It’s Lying, and We’re Letting It Slide
We need to stop pretending we’re dealing with “misinformation.” That word implies confusion, misunderstanding, or people being misled. What’s happening now is deliberate lying, followed by a coordinated insistence that lies are just “different opinions.”
They are not.
Right-wing media figures, MAGA influencers, and conservative outrage accounts are currently pushing the claim that Zohran Mamdani performed a Nazi salute at his inauguration. They’re doing this by falsely equating a completely ordinary hand gesture with Elon Musk’s widely criticized salute from January 2025. The comparison collapses under even the most basic scrutiny. Anyone with functioning eyesight can see these gestures are not the same.
And that’s the point.
This is not a good-faith disagreement about interpretation. This is a premeditated strategy: lie blatantly, repeat it loudly, then retreat into “we’re just asking questions” or “that’s my opinion” when challenged. The goal is not truth. The goal is confusion, exhaustion, and the erosion of shared reality.
Let’s be very clear about what actually happened.
On January 20, 2025, during events celebrating Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Elon Musk made a stiff, extended-arm salute twice while addressing supporters. The gesture was widely interpreted as resembling a Nazi or fascist Roman salute. Musk dismissed the backlash as “dirty tricks.” Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, however, openly celebrated it. Several European political parties called for Musk to be barred from entering their countries. That reaction did not emerge from nowhere.
There is also historical context Musk never meaningfully addressed. His grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was a prominent figure in Technocracy Inc, a movement that advocated overthrowing democratic governments, installing rule by engineers, expanding territorially for resources, and openly admired aspects of Nazi governance. That context matters, whether Musk likes it or not.
Now contrast that with Mamdani.
Mamdani extended his arm and did a light, playful finger wiggle, something he has done repeatedly in public appearances. There was no rigidity, no posture, no ideological signaling. Pretending these two gestures are “identical” is not analysis. It is an insult to basic perception.
Yet conservative media is running with it anyway.
Fox News, in a segment that barely qualifies as journalism, framed the situation as a “media double standard.” The argument goes like this: Elon Musk was accused of a Nazi salute, therefore Zohran Mamdani must be guilty of the same thing, and the media’s refusal to say so proves liberal bias. Popular right-wing accounts like Libs of TikTok amplified the narrative, posting screenshots and demanding outrage.
This is not reporting. It’s performance.
Fox’s segment even dragged in unrelated political talking points, recycling claims about Democrats calling Trump a fascist and referencing comments by figures like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, as if that somehow transforms an obvious lie into a legitimate debate. It does not.
Here’s the deeper problem: we are watching a sustained attempt to erase the distinction between objective facts and personal belief.
A fact is observable reality. An opinion is how you feel about it. Saying “I don’t like Zohran Mamdani” is an opinion. Saying “Zohran Mamdani did a Nazi salute” when he objectively did not is a lie. You don’t get to launder lies through the language of “different perspectives.”
This tactic works because we keep allowing it. We keep pretending that every claim deserves equal consideration, even when one side is openly gaslighting. We keep dignifying bad-faith arguments by engaging them as if they were sincere.
Meanwhile, Musk continues to benefit. The outrage drives engagement. The controversy boosts traffic on X. The media circus becomes the point. He trolls, the internet reacts, and the truth becomes collateral damage.
So no, don’t fall for it.
This isn’t about protecting Mamdani from criticism. It’s about protecting reality from people who have decided facts are optional. It’s about refusing to accept a country where obvious lies are defended as “just opinions,” and where media outlets abandon journalism in favor of partisan spectacle.
What happened to this country? We stopped demanding truth, and too many people realized they could get away without it.