In a striking display of media inconsistency, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's gesture, reminiscent of the one that sparked widespread condemnation when performed by Elon Musk, has gone largely unreported by the mainstream press.
According to The Post Millennial, when President Trump secured victory in the 2024 election, Musk's gesture, accompanied by the words, "My heart goes out to you," was swiftly labeled a "Nazi salute" by numerous legacy media outlets, including Politico, CNN, and MSNBC.
Yet, these same outlets have remained conspicuously silent following Mamdani's similar action during his inauguration speech on Thursday, where he placed his hand over his heart before extending it to the crowd.
Observers have been quick to question whether the media or left-leaning figures will apply the same scrutiny to Mamdani as they did to Musk. "All these Media outlets compared Elons wave to a Nazi salute: NYT, BBC, NPR, CNN, Axios, WaPo, Reuters, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, USA Today, The Guardian, The Independent. They knew it was a lie. None will do it for Mamdani. Propaganda Media is the Enemy of the People," stated X account C3.
Similarly, X user Angela Belcamino remarked, "If Elon Musk is a Nazi for making that hand gesture Zohran Mamdani is one too. Sorry, I dont make the rules."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who delivered the welcome message at Mamdani's inauguration, was vocal in her criticism of Musk, asserting that in America, "we hate Nazis" in response to his gesture. She emphasized, Two of probably the most foundation-defining things about American history is that we beat the Confederates and we beat the Nazis, and vowed to oppose anyone sympathetic to Nazis. However, since Mamdani's gesture, Ocasio-Cortez has not addressed the issue.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), another speaker at Mamdani's inauguration, had previously criticized Musk for his gesture, accusing him of supporting neo-Nazi parties and using his platform to attack dissenters. Despite the parallels between Mamdani's and Musk's actions, Sanders has yet to comment on the matter.
This silence from prominent figures and media outlets raises questions about the consistency of their standards and the potential bias in their reporting.
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