It was, all in all, a pretty poor attempt at a Nazi salute, made by somebody who'd be unlikely to recognise a real Nazi if one jumped up and bit him on the nose. Also, to be absolutely fasir, to be a Nazi, you have to be a German. The whole basis of the Nazi ideology was built on German racial identity and German destiny. That's why we differentiate it from Fascism, which can be based on any culture, nationality or indeed identity. The Fascist society described by Heinlein in Starship Troopers was global, based on a specific concept of Humanity.
Trump, Musk and their fellow-travellers are not even Fascists, but Neo-Feudalists. Their demesnes are corporations, rather than estates. The specialist contractors are the new Guilds, maintaining a degree of independence as long as their skills are needed. Ordinary employees are more and more in the position of serfs, bound to the places they work without hope of betterment, barely msking subsistence but unable to leave for fear of starvation. The Government plays the role of the old Church - aiding, abetting and supporting the rulers while bullying the people to keep them in their place.
Trump may think he is King, but he's only the Pope, and like many Medieval Popes, he will find himself depending on the support of one or more of these new aristocrats.
But a feudal society needs a King. It's clear that Musk sees himself in the role, but he has rivals. Will we see the War of the Tech-Bros, I wonder? Because one of these corporate billionaires must sooner or later make a bid for dominance over the others.
The US has no Medieval history. People talking about Nazism and Fascism don't recognise the real nature of the threat. Any opposition must rally around not only liberal social ideas, but truly left-wing economic ones. The counter to old Feudalism was the redistribution of wealth and power via traditional capitalism. Neo-Feudalism,grown from late-staghe capitalism, must also be brought down by such a redistribution, but that must be done by embracing social democracy. Too radical for the exisiting 'opposition'.
