A supervisor of a town in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, resigned after a video in which she appeared to mimic Elon Musk’s alleged Nazi salute went viral.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, owner of the social media platform X, and Administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency, sparked outrage when he made a gesture that resembled a Nazi salute while addressing a crowd at an inauguration event for President Donald Trump.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) later posted a statement on X saying it seemed like Musk “made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.
— ADL (@ADL) January 20, 2025
It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on…
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Despite the ADL’s statement, many have still accused Musk of performing the salute. In response, Musk posted a series of Nazi-related puns on X which led to more backlash.
He also sparked more controversy while appearing to reference Germany’s Nazi history while making a virtual appearance at a campaign event for Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on Saturday.
Amid the controversy surrounding Musk, Laura Smith, a Republican and the Vice Chair of the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors, posted a video of herself on the social media platform TikTok in which she appeared to mimic Musk’s gesture.
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“Just checking in on my friends who are struggling this week,” she says before making the gesture. “My heart goes out to you. Hope you’re doing okay.”
Smith later deleted the video though it was reposted and re-shared by several users on social media.
This woman doing a Nazi salute is Laura Smith and she sits on the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors in Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/ZJlEfaxrsT
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) January 25, 2025
Smith later sent a statement to NBC10 in response to the controversy.
“A video I posted recently to social media has been greatly mischaracterized,” she wrote. “Not wishing to give offense, I removed the video from my accounts. I abhor racism, anti-Semitic or discrimination in any fashion or form and my record as a township supervisor attests to my commitment to treat all people with dignity and respect.”
On Sunday, Jan. 26, Smith announced that she had resigned from the town's Board of Supervisors.
“To allow the Township to move forward without the encumbrance of the fallout of my video, I tender my resignation from the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors effective immediately,” she wrote.
A spokesperson for the town also wrote that the Board of Supervisors intended to accept Smith’s resignation at a public meeting “as soon as possible.”
“The Board of Supervisors cannot and will not tolerate such conduct,” the spokesperson wrote.
Smith was also a board member of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, the library announced on their Facebook page that Smith had resigned from that position.
