The Roman salute is conditionally allowed in Italy and outright banned in Germany. German chancellor Olaf Scholz responded to Musk's gesture by saying, "We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany," he said, "what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions."

Even if Musk did "accidentally" make the Nazi-like salute, multiple neo-Nazis gleefully embraced the gesture at face value as a Sieg Heil, and proclaimed, "We are so back."