An elected official in Pennsylvania has resigned after throwing a Nazi salute in a TikTok video while joking about Elon Musk.
Towamencin Township Supervisor Laura Smith had a giant grin in her TikTok video as she said she was “checking in” on friends who are “struggling this week,” referring to the start of President Trump’s presidency.
“My heart goes out to you,” she said — tapping her chest three times and raising her arm in an offensive salute, still with a giant grin on her face.
Although she did not mention Musk in her video, she was clearly referencing the moment the world’s richest man held up his arm to thank Trump supporters at the inauguration, in which the Tesla mogul also told them “my heart goes out to you.”
Musk has repeatedly denied any hidden meaning — saying haters need “better dirty tricks — and the Anti-Defamation League categorized it as “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
However, Smith quickly went viral for her more obvious salute — forcing her to resign, she announced Sunday.
Smith said the video had been “greatly mischaracterized,” but that she removed it “not wishing to give offense.”
“I abhor racism, anti-Semitic [sic] 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,” she said.
The board intends to accept the resignation at a public meeting as soon as possible, according to the township’s website.
Smith resigned from two other positions she held, including as a board member of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library and from the board of the nonprofit Knights for Life.
The library accepted her resignation on Saturday, noting in a statement that her conduct “does not align with the library’s values.”
“The library is a welcoming place of learning, dedicated to informing, educating, entertaining, and enriching the lives of all individuals,” the library wrote.
“We reject hate in all its forms and remain committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment for everyone.”
In a statement announcing her resignation, Knights for Life stated their organization was “founded on the ideals of service, of community, of helping those in critical need” and remained “dedicated to our purpose and reject anything that distracts from our mission.”
Musk, who will lead the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency under Trump, defended the gesture, arguing those who accused him of giving the Nazi salute “need better dirty tricks.”
