Tech billionaire Elon Musk's mother, Maye Musk, has publicly urged him to take legal action against several news organizations, including CNN, for propagating what she calls a false "Nazi salute" narrative surrounding a gesture he made at a recent Trump inauguration event. The incident, which occurred at President Trump's rally, sparked controversy and led to widespread media speculation about the meaning behind Musk's hand movement.

CNN commentator Catherine Rampell, during a panel discussion, accused Musk of performing two "Sieg Heil" salutes. This prompted a strong rebuttal from her colleague, Scott Jennings, who advised those making such accusations to "lawyer up." Following the incident, an X user suggested that Musk sue Rampell and CNN for defamation, a suggestion to which Musk responded, "Good idea." Maye Musk echoed this sentiment, expressing her distress over the online backlash she and her son have received due to the CNN segment. She specifically thanked Scott Jennings for his defense of Musk.

Maye Musk further extended her call for legal action to include other news outlets like PBS News and The Guardian. PBS News had described Musk's gesture as a "fascist salute" resembling the Nazi "Sieg Heil," while The Guardian's headline claimed Musk made "back-to-back fascist salutes." She also appeared to support suing MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who agreed with the "Nazi salute" interpretation during a Maddow interview. Maddow herself had previously characterized Musk's gesture as chilling and indicative of authoritarianism.

Elon Musk has indicated his willingness to pursue legal action against Tim Walz, referring to him as a "creepy clown" on X. This recent controversy comes amidst a wave of high-profile defamation lawsuits. Earlier this month, CNN settled a defamation case with Navy veteran Zachary Young, and last month, ABC News settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump for $15 million over false claims made by George Stephanopoulos.