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A meteorologist in Milwaukee has been “dropped” by the TV station where she worked after criticizing Elon Musk in an Instagram post about his Nazi-like salutes, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
“Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58,” the staff memo from the station’s news director Jessie Garcia said, according to the Journal-Sentinel. “A search for a replacement is underway.”
Kuffel has made her Instagram account private, but screenshots circulating on X show that she wrote “Dude Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration. You fuck with this and this man, I don’t fuck with you. Full stop.” Kuffel also included a meme from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that included the caption “Screw that old bitch. He’s a Nazi.”
Kuffel’s sentiments were previously the kind of thing that wouldn’t get someone in trouble with their employers, given that Nazis used to be unwelcome in mainstream American society. Kuffel didn’t respond to an email from Gizmodo sent Wednesday seeking comment.
The controversy all started when Musk made two salutes on Jan. 20 during a rally for President Donald Trump and he hasn’t explicitly denied that they were intended to look like the same gestures made by the Nazis. But Musk’s defenders have tried to use a wide range of excuses to insist the billionaire was not invoking the Nazi regime, including everything from claims that autistic people just sometimes do that to the idea that he intended to somehow “throw” his heart to the crowd.
Dan O’Donnell, a right-wing radio host in Milwaukee, tweeted about Kuffel’s Instagram post and the fact that he went whining to Kuffel’s employer about Musk’s salutes but didn’t immediately hear back about it.
“As has been repeatedly pointed out, Musk said ‘my heart goes out to you’ as he grabbed his heart and then motioned it out toward the crowd. @CBS58 has not yet responded to a request for comment on Kuffel’s post,” O’Donnell tweeted on Tuesday.
To be clear, giving what looks like a Nazi salute not just once but twice is not something associated with “my heart goes out to you.” That’s simply not a thing that exists in American culture. But, as a Trump supporter, O’Donnell clearly can’t be trusted to make an argument in good faith.
Musk’s salutes feel like a real turning point for the country, given the fact that he’s both the wealthiest person in the world by far and a close advisor to the president. The Tesla CEO, who’s worth $427 billion according to Forbes, was instrumental in helping to elect Trump in November, spending over a quarter of a billion dollars in the effort.
Online, several Reddit communities have now banned links to Musk’s social media platform X in protest of the billionaire’s salutes. But Musk doesn’t seem too bothered by the response. Rather than come out and forcefully denounce the Nazis while clearly stating that he was not making a Nazi salute, Musk has instead just made jokes, including several about Nazi leadership during the 1930s and ’40s.
“Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down! Stop Gőring your enemies! His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler! Bet you did nazi that coming,” Musk wrote on Thursday.
Again, none of that is a denial. But Musk seems to be enjoying himself, reveling in the controversy. “When I see the troll emoji, it’s like looking in the mirror,” wrote Musk.
