Steve Bannon has hit back at claims that he performed a ‘Nazi salute’ on stage. Speaking on DailyMail.com’s Welcome to MAGAland podcast, Bannon dismissed the accusations, saying the liberal media had been too quick to judge his actions, insisting that it was simply “a wave to the crowd.”
“Once again, this is the left-wing media insulting these people,” he said, referring to the MAGA supporters who attended his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, DC on Thursday night.”The speech was about them.”

Bannon remained defiant, insisting that his gesture was taken out of context and misrepresented. “This is just another example of the media trying to smear us,” he said. “They’re afraid because they know we’re winning.”
The controversy erupted after Bannon was seen extending his arm at the end of his speech while rallying the crowd to “fight, fight, fight” for the country and Donald Trump‘s agenda. Social media quickly erupted, with critics likening his gesture to a Nazi salute and condemning him and the Republican Party.
The 71-year-old Bannon dismissed the claims, saying the reaction showed how “petrified” the media establishment was of him. “They have to understand something: These people can’t be bought, they can’t be defeated,” he said.
He also denied that the gesture was aimed at Elon Musk, with whom he has been feuding in recent months. Musk, too, has been accused of making a Nazi salute during Trump’s inauguration in January. When asked if his wave was a swipe at Musk, Bannon responded, “Elon is doing some great stuff, but I totally oppose him being an oligarch and a trans-humanist.”
However, Bannon was quick to praise Musk in one area. “DOGE is on fire, and as you know, I fully support Elon on DOGE and cutting the government,” he added.
Bannon’s gesture was widely criticised online, with Project Liberal President Joshua Reed Eakle claiming, “Nazism has officially taken over the GOP.” Social media personality Brian Krassenstein also weighed in, saying, “Steve Bannon does a NAZI salute at the end of his CPAC speech. Someone try and convince me that he didn’t.”
The backlash mirrors the controversy surrounding Musk, who was accused of making a similar gesture at Trump’s inauguration. Musk defended himself at the time, saying critics needed “better dirty tricks” and that the “‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has criticised Musk in the past, also defended him, stating that he “made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.” The organisation acknowledged the “delicate” political climate and urged all sides to offer “a bit of grace.”
Musk has faced criticism in the US and Europe for supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and for his remarks about political leaders, including accusing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to address the country’s grooming and rape gangs and calling for his resignation.