Did Laura Ingraham Give A Nazi Salute At Republican Convention?

The ultra-conservative commentator Laura Ingraham sent Twitter into a frenzy after she gave what appeared to be a Nazi salute at the end of a rousing speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. Photos of Ingraham’s alleged Nazi salute quickly circulated around social media networks and the images show her with right arm stretched upward, with the hand open and palm down.

Did she just… https://t.co/NkPy2dypCP #RNCinCLE pic.twitter.com/2l4sMHfRLy

— GIPHY (@GIPHY) July 21, 2016

I like how she tried to turn the nazi salute into a wave, like when you trip on the sidewalk and start running. pic.twitter.com/OFtM4UCFLk

— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) July 21, 2016

Twitter users were quick to point out the similarities between Ingraham’s gesture and the Nazi salute, which was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany and is performed by extending the right arm in the air with a straightened hand. While some social media users say the gesture was, in fact, a Nazi salute, MarketWatch argues that it was nothing more than a stiff wave.

“I’m taking a night off from the RNC, but did Laura Ingraham give a Nazi salute with the WRONG hand? Very embarrassing if true,” one person tweeted.

“Last night Ben Carson’s Lucifer, tonight Laura Ingraham’s Nazi salute — what will Ivanka do tomorrow?” another user wrote.

Although the radio host’s awkward on-stage wave did initially resemble a Nazi salute, this isn’t the first time a political figure has been caught doing the gesture.

Hillary Clinton has been photographed several times giving what appears to be a Nazi salute and she was heavily criticized last year after she intentionally did the gesture at a book signing. When the former Secretary of State was asked about the photograph after it went viral, she laughed and said her Nazi salute was “just a silly joke.” Her publicist later issued a statement dismissing any rumors alleging Clinton was in any way associated with the Nazi party.

“Mrs. Clinton has always had a staunch aversion to Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party,” the statement read. “For anyone to suggest that she would do a Nazi salute for any reason other than fun is ridiculous. As those who know the former first lady will tell you, Mrs. Clinton has a fertile sense of humor and she’s able to make the most morbid subjects the butt of her jokes. For Mrs. Clinton, enacting Nazi salutes has always been an icebreaker at parties or a way to cheer up friends and colleagues who might be down in the dumps.”

https://twitter.com/jenilynn1001/status/755956707419836417

Ingraham has yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter. As said in a report from New York Daily News, Ingraham would not be the first of the billionaire’s supporters to make the infamous Nazi gesture, as Trump fanatics have yelled “Heil Donald Trump” and “Sieg Heil” at the Republican nominee’s rallies.

Meanwhile, Ingraham’s speech on the Republican National Convention stage was highly praised and many viewers immediately crowned it as being the best speech of the convention so far. In her speech, the 53-year-old attacked Hillary Clinton and called out the media for spreading anti-conservative bias.

“To all my friends up there in the press: You all know why, in your heart, Donald Trump won the nomination. You know it. You know why he won it?” she asked. “Because he dared to call out the phonies, the frauds, and the corruption that has gone unexposed and uncovered for far too long. Too long! Do your job!”

The former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan also lashed out at Texas Senator Ted Cruz for his refusal to support Donald Trump.

“I want to say this very plainly. We should all — even all you boys with your wounded feelings and bruised egos … and we love you, we love you — but you must honor your pledge to support Donald Trump now,” Ingraham said, sparking a roar from the crowd.

[Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/AP Images]