WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk's hand gesture while he spoke during a celebration of President Donald Trump's inauguration drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute on Monday, but a leading tracker of antisemitism said it appeared to represent a moment of enthusiasm instead.

Musk took the Capital One Arena stage in Washington to huge cheers, pumping his arms and shouting, "Yesssss."

During a speech at Capitol One Arena Monday following Donald Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk appeared to deliver a Roman salute not once, but twice.

The gesture is associated with Nazi Germany, and Musk was speaking triumphantly about Trump’s election victory when he made the salute.

CNN anchors on Monday implied Tesla CEO Elon Musk had done a Nazi salute while speaking before a crowd of Trump supporters during the day’s inaugural events.

An excited Musk took the stage at Capital One Arena on Monday and told attendees, “This is what victory feels like.”

Parachutes flapped open in midair over France this week as US paratroopers leaped out of World War II-era military planes, launching the start of solemn commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a week that will bring dozens of world leaders, including President Joe Biden, for events that will be rich in symbolism and resonant with current times.

Events are taking place in France and the UK to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France.

On 6 June 1944, tens of thousands of soldiers landed on five beaches in Normandy, northern France.

The largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare played a crucial role in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of Europe.

On this day in 1944, the liberation of Western Europe began with immense sacrifice. In a tribute delivered 40 years later from a Normandy cliff, President Ronald Reagan reminded us that “the boys of Pointe du Hoc” were “heroes who helped end a war.” That last detail is worth some reflection because we are in danger of forgetting why it matters.

American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines joined allies and took the fight to the Axis powers not as a first instinct, but as a last resort. They ended a war that the free world’s inaction had left them no choice but to fight.

Former President Donald Trump posted a video on Monday showing images of a fake newspaper article that references a “unified Reich” if he’s reelected in 2024.

The video details “what happens after Donald Trump wins” with a narrator reading hypothetical headlines like “Economy Booms!” and “Border is closed,” styled as World War I-era newspaper clippings. Under one headline that reads “What’s next for America?” is a reference to the “creation of a unified Reich.”

The White House blasted former President Trump on Tuesday after he shared a video on Truth Social that referenced a “unified Reich” if he won a second term, calling it “dangerous and offensive.”

“It is abhorrent, sickening, and disgraceful for anyone to promote content associated with Germany’s Nazi government under Adolf Hitler,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.

“Any Antisemitic dog whistling is dangerous and offensive – and profoundly un-American,” he added.

The campaign to elect former President Donald Trump is scrambling trying to explain why Trump shared a video with the phrase “unified Reich,” which refers to Nazi Germany.

During the video, a narrator described “what happens after Donald Trump wins,” and the screen flashed to a newspaper headline reading, “Industrial strength significantly increased … driven by the creation of a unified Reich.” The term “reich” refers to an empire, but the word was also used by Adolf Hitler’s “Third Reich,” another name for his Nazi regime.