Comedian Bill Burr has claimed his account on X, formerly Twitter, was “flagged for inappropriate” content after he mocked the platform’s owner Elon Musk for performing what critics claimed was a fascist salute at a Donald Trump pre-inauguration rally on January 20.
Musk has strongly denied the gesture he made on the Capital One Arena stage in Washington, D.C., was a fascist salute and this interpretation was backed by the Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism.
Newsweek contacted Burr and Musk, via the SpaceX, Tesla and former Twitter press offices, for comment via email on Thursday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Trump appointed tech billionaire Musk to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency shortly after his inauguration on January 20. The DOGE has overseen an aggressive program of federal job cuts.
Over the past year, Musk has emerged as one of Trump’s closest and most influential political allies, and, on Wednesday, he attended the president’s first cabinet meeting following his second inauguration.
What To Know
Speaking on the February 24 episode of his Monday Morning Podcast, Burr hit out at Musk, saying he received an email saying his X account was “flagged for inappropriate” after he “made fun of the f****** Twitter guy for f****** sieg heiling [doing a gesture associated with Nazi Germany] not once but twice.”
Burr added: “I don’t even tweet anymore … what a f****** baby. Just like Hitler, a f****** baby.” The comedian does still make some posts on X; his most recent, related to an upcoming Broadway role, was made on February 18.
Burr did not say which specific comments about Musk’s gesture he believed had attracted the tech billionaire’s ire, nor whether any specific restrictions were placed on his X account in response.
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The official X help center says that site users can be censored for a number of reasons, including posting private information such as people’s addresses without their permission; impersonating another individual; or promoting acts of violence. X said: “Our rules are to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely.”
On January 20, Musk spoke at a Trump rally immediately prior to the incoming president’s inauguration. During his address, after thanking Trump supporters for their efforts, Musk placed his right hand over his heart, then extended the arm out horizontally with the palm facing out, then repeated the gesture facing the opposite direction. He then said: “My heart goes out to you.”
Critics suggested he had made a fascist salute, though this was fiercely rejected by Musk on X. He said: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Over the past few months, Burr has been highly politically outspoken, suggesting billionaires should be “put down like rabid dogs” during an episode of his Monday Morning Podcast earlier this month.
During a January appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Burr said “free Luigi” with reference to Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who has been accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione pled not guilty to the charge.
What People Are Saying
Speaking about Musk on his podcast, Burr said: “I’ll tell you what was funny. I made fun of the f****** Twitter guy for f****** sieg heiling not once but twice and I never look at my emails. I was scrolling through my emails, and it said my Twitter account had been flagged for inappropriate … I don’t even tweet anymore … what a f****** baby. Just like Hitler, a f****** baby.
“Up with the fact that the Twitter guy, he’s not even from here; he’s from South Africa. He comes to this country and wants to turn it into a f****** dictatorship. He doesn’t feel that we deserve democracy.”
In a statement provided to Newsweek after Musk’s January 20 gesture, Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman said: “Elon Musk has repeatedly pushed for the racist and antisemitic ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, endorsed the Nazi-sympathizing German Political Party AfD, and allowed anti-Jewish hate to proliferate unabated on his website, X.
“Viewed in that context, and regardless of any justification, his salute last night at Donald Trump’s inauguration rally can only be interpreted as a Sieg Heil salute that is synonymous with Nazi support for Hitler.”
The Anti-Defamation League wrote in part in response to criticism of Musk’s gesture on X on January 20: “It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.”
What Happens Next
Neither Musk nor X has responded to Burr’s claim that his account on the social-media platform was marked as inappropriate.
Via his work with DOGE, Musk remains one of the most-influential figures within Trump’s administration, though it remains to be seen whether his work will be an electoral asset or liability.
