Was Elon Musk's grandfather a Nazi? Users online say maternal grandad Joshua Haldeman had 'anti-Semitic past' - others slam 'baseless rumours'

Details of the tech billionaire’s grandad are emerging after Musk made a controversial salute during his speech at Donald Trump’s inauguration. Musk shocked many - including those watching at Washington DC's Capital One Arena - when he put his hand on his chest, then stretched out his arm with an open hand. To many it appeared Musk had performed a fascist salute - familiar to most from their use by the Nazis in reverence to Adolf Hitler. Many interpreted it as resembling the Nazi "Sieg Heil" salute.

He posted the video of his speech on X, formerly Twitter, with one user responding saying: “That was definitely a Nazi salute. Big fan of Tesla. Skeptical of Elon. But that was the most awkward thing I’ve seen no matter how excited he was”.

Now, users on X, formerly Twitter, are claiming that his maternal grandfather, Joshua Haldeman was a “Nazi”. One user wrote: “Elon Musk’s grandfather was a Nazi. If I had a Nazi in the family, I would make sure not to do that gesture. If you are wondering his name Joshua N. Haldeman“.

Another said: “It seems you haven’t read much about Elon Musk’s grandfather, Dr. Joshua Norman Haldeman. Even The New Yorker covered his anti-Semitic past in an article by Jill Lepore. According to Lepore, Dr. Haldeman made anti-Semitic remarks in his writings and speeches during his involvement with the Technocracy, Inc. movement. He was a significant influence on Elon Musk’s life - a fact Elon has mentioned in numerous interviews. This connection clearly explains Musk’s fascination with technocracy, which appears to have shaped his worldview.”

However some slammed this as a “baseless rumour”. One user posted on X: “No, Elon Musk’s grandparents were not Nazis. This baseless rumor has no evidence. His maternal grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was a Canadian adventurer and chiropractor with no ties to Nazi ideology. Stop spreading misinformation.“

An interview by Elon Musk’s dad, Errol, has also stirred up conversations about Musk’s grandfather being a “Nazi”. Errol Musk told Mac G Podcast and Chill that his parents (Elon Musk’s grandparents) were “in the Nazi, German, party in Canada and they sympathised with the Germans”. He speaks of Elon’s maternal grandparents, saying they were members of the Nazi party in Canada and later moved to South Africa because they supported the Apartheid regime.

The snippet of the podcast has been posted on X, with one user responding to the post saying: “It sounds like Elon learned the Nazi salute from grandma and grandpa.” Jill Lepore previously wrote for The New Yorker in September 2023 on Elon Musk’s grandfather.

The American historian and journalist wrote: “Haldeman was a pro-apartheid, antisemitic conspiracy theorist who blamed much of what bothered him about the world on Jewish financiers. Elon Musk is not responsible for the political opinions of his grandfather, who died when Musk was three years old. But Haldeman’s legacy casts light on what social media does: the reason that most people don’t know about Musk’s grandfather’s political writings is that in his lifetime social media did not exist, and the writings of people like him were not, therefore, amplified by it.”