Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is catching heat after a video surfaced that appears to show him doing what many in the liberal media accused Elon Musk of months ago, following the victory of Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
During the inauguration of President Trump to his second term in the White House, Musk placed his hand over his heart and extended his arm outward, palm open, which liberal media outlets compared to a Nazi salute. In reality, he was throwing his heart to the audience in a symbolic gesture of love and solidarity.
Prominent Democratic lawmakers experienced strong emotional reactions as they breathlessly condemned the gesture as antisemitic. Every left-leaning outlet produced stories around the clock discussing the incident, saturating the American people with coverage of the video.
Now, a clip has surfaced showing Booker doing the same gesture, and yet, the media seems to be largely silent about the incident.
Users on X have accused legacy media outlets of selective coverage for criticizing Musk so severely and remaining silent about Booker. One wrote, “Is the media’s selective coverage a sign of bias, or do they simply prioritize what fits their narrative over actual newsworthiness?”
Another said, “It’s only wrong when the mainstream media says it’s wrong. Otherwise it’s okay.”
According to Newsweek, one of the few outlets that seems to have covered the story about Booker, a spokesperson for the New Jersey senator delivered a response to the controversy on Sunday.
“Cory Booker was obviously just waving to the crowd. Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk’s gesture is operating in bad faith,” Maya Krishna-Rogers, spokesperson for Booker, went on to say to the outlet in an emailed statement. “The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda.”
Billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reposted the video and several images of Booker doing the salute on social media, accusing him of making the same gesture he did.
“As Newsweek previously reported, video shows Booker speaking at the Democratic convention Saturday in California. As he finished his speech, Booker puts his hand over his heart before extending his hand, fingers open, towards the crowd and returning both his hands to his heart,” the report said.
The article then acknowledged that Booker’s gesture is very similar to that of Musk.
