In a moment that left the world reeling, Elon Musk shocked millions during the 2025 inauguration of Donald Trump by performing what appeared to be a Nazi salute. The gesture, made in front of a live audience and streamed across the globe, quickly went viral, sparking a wave of reactions ranging from disbelief to outright outrage. As the videos circulated, questions echoed across the internet: Who is this man really? And what drives this deeply troubling behaviour?

And so, in an attempt to understand the roots of Musk’s actions, the internet unearthed disturbing details about his past—not just his recent controversies, but the dark shadow of his family history, particularly that of his grandfather. It turns out, as bizarre and shocking as Musk’s recent behaviour may seem, there’s a long and disturbing thread that connects his actions to his family’s past.

Elon Musk lets his full shadow slip, throwing up a Nazi salute at Trump's inauguration. Media branding it an "odd gesture". Be serious, that's a full on Sieg Heil. pic.twitter.com/vlmQiZ8zTR

— Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) January 20, 2025

Elon Musk’s grandfather, Joshua Norman Haldeman was born on 25 November 1902 and died on 13 January 1974. He was an American-born Canadian and South African chiropractor, aviator, and politician. A key figure in Canadian politics, Haldeman became deeply involved in the Technocracy movement, which aimed to replace democratic governments with rule by engineers and scientists (sound familiar?). But what’s even more concerning is his membership in the Social Credit Party, a pro-apartheid and anti-Semitic political group.

Before rising to prominence as a leader in Canada’s Technocracy movement, Haldeman was actually jailed when the movement was briefly outlawed. The politician was charged with “publishing documents likely to interfere with the efficient prosecution of the war and likely to cause disaffection to His Majesty”—a set of regulations originally designed to target Nazis. But that didn’t hold him back.

After his release, Haldeman quickly rebounded and became the national chairman of the notoriously anti-Semitic Social Credit Party. In 1950, he even ran for office in Canada, though he lost. Just two years after apartheid was established in South Africa, he moved his family to Pretoria, where he became a vocal defender of the regime, actively advocating for its policies and principles.

Joshua Haldeman was Elmo’s grandfather. If you ask him to describe the man for you, he’ll say he was full of adventurous spirit and a successful family man. Closer looks will show they have a lot in common. 🧵 1/5 pic.twitter.com/heRUY9MsPu

— FriendlyKozak (@KvotheTheArcane) September 29, 2023

As reported by The New Yorker and detailed by Harvard professor Jill Leo, Haldeman’s writings, which have been uncovered in various archives, reveal a man consumed by conspiracy theories and obsessed with maintaining white dominance. His views were extreme—he blamed much of the world’s problems on Jewish financiers and spoke out against civil rights movements, vehemently opposing the decolonisation of Africa.

Haldeman led the Canadian branch of Technocracy Incorporated, which envisioned a post-democratic, post-capitalist state stretching from Central America to Alaska. In this new world, scientists and engineers would manage a labour force paid in “energy certificates,” a form of universal basic income. Members paid $5 to join, wore matching grey suits, and some even adopted serial numbers instead of names.

Although the Canadian ban on Technocracy Incorporated was short-lived, Haldeman left Canada disillusioned and moved to South Africa, where he developed a new passion for flying over the Kalahari desert in search of a lost city. His grandson, Elon Musk, was born in Pretoria in 1971, with Haldeman later passing away in 1974. In actuality, the controversial politician might have approved of the unconventional name given to Musk’s great-grandson, X Æ A-XII—perhaps a nod to his technocratic ideals.

Now, does this remind you of something? Let me refresh your memory: Musk recently asked for “high-IQ revolutionaries” to work for no pay on a new Trump project. Sounds a lot like the technocratic dream of free labour to me…

In 1960, a pivotal moment in South African history unfolded when police opened fire on a crowd of thousands of Black South Africans protesting apartheid outside the Sharpeville police station. The tragedy, known as the Sharpeville Massacre, resulted in sixty-nine deaths, including children, and nearly two hundred people were wounded. The shocking killings were broadcast globally, leading to widespread protests and a state of emergency. Among those arrested during the unrest was Nelson Mandela, along with eighteen thousand others.

Amid this turmoil, Haldeman continued to defend apartheid, writing tracts that supported white rule against what he described as an “international conspiracy.” In one such tract, published in May 1960 and included in the New Yorker piece, The International Conspiracy to Establish a World Dictatorship and the Menace to South Africa,” he railed against the criticisms of apartheid, which he called “brain-washing” by the media, writing: “Every day the brain-washers repeat and emphasise the things they want us to believe.” He dismissed accusations of mistreatment of Black South Africans as “99 per cent untrue,” and condemned international calls for racial equality as part of a larger global agenda.

Even though Elon Musk was just a child when his grandfather died, literally three years old, the legacy of these beliefs may have left a mark on the entrepreneur’s psyche. When Musk was born in 1971, South Africa was still under the control of Prime Minister John Vorster, who had once led a fascist militia that worked with Hitler decades before—talk about growing up in a politically charged atmosphere.

Nonetheless, Musk has often positioned himself as a “maverick” tech billionaire, challenging conventional wisdom and embracing controversial political stances. His purchase of Twitter (X), for instance, was framed as an effort to combat “wokemind virus”  and promote free speech. Indeed, Musk’s vocal support for figures like Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist known for his inflammatory rhetoric, only deepens the concerns about his political leanings.

And as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) once put it: “You can take the boy out of apartheid, but you can take the apartheid out of the boy.”

@thatcivicsteacher

♬ original sound - That Civics Teacher 🆘🇺🇸💙

So, yes, the fact that Musk’s family history is steeped in right-wing extremism might explain some of his more questionable actions today, but it doesn’t excuse them. Musk has been a vocal supporter of the far-right, and his words and decisions have often seemed to align with the ideology of the alt-right movement, including amplifying the voices of white nationalists and conspiracy theorists.

As social media continues to amplify his every move, the line between the man Musk is today and the legacy of his ancestors becomes increasingly blurred. And as long as the tech billionaire remains at the helm of some of the world’s most influential companies, the questions about his true beliefs—and the dangers they may pose—will continue to linger.