Cory Booker Criticized by Conservatives Over Gesture at California Democratic Convention

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is facing mockery from conservative commentators after a gesture he made during a speech at the California Democratic Party convention was compared to a “Nazi salute” — a comparison some say highlights a double standard in media coverage.

Booker was in Los Angeles on Saturday addressing Democratic delegates at the Anaheim Convention Center. During his speech, which echoed themes from his 25-hour filibuster in the Senate earlier this year, Booker urged attendees to push back against what he described as attacks on democracy and public welfare from former President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

“Real change doesn’t come from Washington,” Booker said. “It comes from the people — from communities that stand up to the powerful and prove that the power of the people is greater than the people in power.”

At the end of his speech, Booker placed his right hand over his heart before raising it toward the crowd — a move that conservative commentators seized upon, claiming it resembled the gesture for which Musk was widely criticized in January.

Collin Rugg, co-owner of Trending Politics, posted the footage of Booker on X, writing:

“NEW: Democrat Senator Cory Booker appears to do a ‘Nazi’ salute in front of a large crowd of Democrats. I’m looking forward to the wall-to-wall coverage from the ‘honest’ and totally not biased media.”

Other users joined in, with comparisons to Elon Musk’s wave at a Trump inauguration event earlier this year — which drew sharp criticism from mainstream outlets and liberal pundits. Angela Belcamino posted:

“If Elon Musk is a Nazi for doing this gesture… Cory Booker is one too. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”

A widely shared post from former government scientist Matt van Swol called out major news outlets for allegedly ignoring Booker’s gesture while previously highlighting Musk’s.

“Here’s a list of all the news networks who have not covered Cory Booker’s salute… Every single one of them wrote stories on Elon Musk’s ‘salute’… Do you get it yet?”

When reached for comment by Fox News, Booker’s spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers dismissed the comparison as disingenuous.

“Cory Booker was obviously just waving to the crowd,” she said. “Anyone who claims his wave is the same as Elon Musk’s gesture is operating in bad faith. The differences between the two are obvious to anyone without an agenda.”

Booker has not directly addressed the controversy himself, but he has previously been outspoken about former President Trump, once describing him as “worse than a racist” and accusing him of deliberately using racially divisive language for political gain.

Elon Musk, who earlier faced criticism over a wave some likened to a fascist salute, responded to the backlash disparity by retweeting van Swol’s post and writing:

“Legacy media is one big psy op.”