Jon Stewart Criticizes Elon Musk’s ‘Awkward’ Salute at Trump Inauguration

Jon Stewart had a lot to unpack on Monday’s (January 20) edition of The Daily Show as he discussed Donald Trump‘s Inauguration event, which included a speech from Elon Musk involving a controversial hand gesture.

The late-night host showed a clip of the billionaire CEO on stage at a post-inauguration event held at Washington, D.C.’s Capitol One Arena on Monday. Speaking at a podium, Musk told the crowd, “Some elections are important, some are not, but this one really mattered. And I just want to say thank you for making it happen. Thank you.”

He then placed his hand on his heart before jolting out his arm, straight with his palm down, similar to the Nazi salute. The gesture received shocked gasps and boos from The Daily Show audience when Stewart played the video.

“Charitably, I’m going to say that was just an awkward ‘My heart goes out to you’ gesture,” Stewart said, saying he would have gone for the hand heart symbol himself. “You know, listen, it’s a f****** nerve-wracking day, you’re not normally a public speaker, it’s a one-off gesture. Please try not to use it again.”

He then played another clip where Musk repeated the gesture to the crowd seated behind him. “Son of b****!” Stewart responded. “You really want to make sure that people in the back can see it. I’m just going to be generous and say maybe it was Elon’s attempt to ‘Dab on the Haters.'”

Elsewhere, the comedian mocked the influential Democrats and former Trump haters who showed up for the inauguration. “Also attending were all those people who warned Americans to shun this wannabe fascist dictator called Trump,” he stated. “‘Look at me, Ma! Oh, let’s go see Hitler and get a quick selfie first! Hello! Look at us! A quick one for the ‘Gram!'”

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Stewart continued, “Former President Obama was there. George Bush seemed kind of there… definitely high. Even Mike Pence showed up, I guess to let the crowd finish the job. Only Michelle Obama seemed to have the consistent ethical stance of saying, ‘When they go low, I stay the f*** home.'”

He also touched on the awkward ‘kiss’ between President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. “The award for most useful accessory goes to the always stylish Melania Trump,” Stewart said. “Whose Audrey Hepburn-esque chapeau or head kloche, as it’s called, doubled as an effective…”

The audience laughed over Stewart’s punchline as they were shown a clip of Trump attempting to kiss his wife on the lips, only to be stopped by the wide brim of Melania’s hat.

“If you don’t control your borders,” Stewart quipped. “You don’t have a head.”

You can watch Stewart’s entire opening monologue in the video above.

The Daily Show, Weeknights, 11/10c, Comedy Central, Next-Day Streaming on Paramount+

From TV Guide Magazine

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