5 Of Elon Musk's Cringiest Dance Moves

Donald Trump is certainly no stranger to awkward dancing moments, and it seems that his emotional support billionaire Elon Musk is following in his dancing-shoe-clad footsteps. Since Trump was elected president the second time around, Musk has been quick to get to work, seemingly either forgetting or ignoring that he was not the one elected president. The controversial CEO has made moves — both literally and figuratively — that have drawn negative attention. 

Against what we would advise, Musk doesn't shy away from the opportunity to clunkily shake his groove thing in front of surely horrified onlookers. When it comes to dancing, we all know that having the desire is not equivalent to having rhythm or skill. However, Musk seemingly doesn't pay too much attention to the negative feedback that his dance moves regularly earn. Despite the many, many things Musk has purchased, it seems money can't buy coolness. And this billionaire's cringe-inducing dancing is cold, hard proof of that fact. We have a feeling that at any given moment, Musk could be beating his own personal best when it comes to his cringiest dancing display. Until next time, though, we've found his worst dancing moments. Brace yourself — it's going to be a tough watch.

Back in 2020, Elon Musk took the stage at the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, China, to celebrate the launch of the Tesla Model Y. And, what better way to pay homage to a brand new car than with some strange, out-of-place dancing? Okay — we can think of a few ways, but Musk, apparently, couldn't. A video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows that as music blared, the CEO swayed back and forth before walking backward while bouncing as the crowd applauded in what was surely a bit of confusion. 

Elon Musk showing off his classic dance moves at the Tesla Model Y launch at the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, China, in 2020. pic.twitter.com/tG8GQ4aiKj

— SMX 🇺🇸 (@iam_smx) December 4, 2024

This would have been enough cringe-inducing behavior for one Tesla launch, but the notorious limit-pusher, of course, had to take things a step further. He slowly removed his jacket to reveal a black t-shirt layered over his white button-down. He then proceeded to toss the jacket to the person who he had unceremoniously forced away from centerstage with his dancing after also handing her his microphone. What followed was a deeply uncomfortable wordless interaction between the two as Musk's stage companion struggled to know when to resume the presentation. Surely, no one is surprised to see Musk bludgeoning his way into being the center of attention. Yet, watching Musk completely steamroll the person he should have shared the stage with further proves that, as far as Musk is concerned, it's his world, and everyone else is just living in it.

Elon Musk's speech at the Capital One Arena on Inauguration Day in 2025 is sure to be remembered in infamy for many reasons. It would be questionable to call his dance moves the worst of his actions that day. Still, that doesn't mean they weren't bad. When he took the stage to celebrate his — sorry — Donald Trump's win, he made some utterly strange movements toward the crowd as music played. The billionaire began the odd display by walking around on the stage in circles, pumping both of his fists before arriving at the podium and performing what looked to be some feeble impression of the Incredible Hulk. While holding his fists up in the air, Musk shouted "Yes!" as the crowd applauded. "This is what victory feels like," he insisted.

NOW – Elon Musk revs up the crowd at Capital One Arena with epic dance moves; "This is what victory feels like!" pic.twitter.com/6YWubddSMg

— Overton (@overton_news) January 20, 2025

A clip of Musk's dancing made the rounds on X, and once again, he was publicly humiliated on the app he shelled out $44 billion for. One X-user wrote, "Is [Elon] ever NOT high?" They went on to say, "he just looks stupid and out of control," regarding Musk's strange dancing. Another directed the question, "Have you no shame?" at the CEO. To answer this commenter's question, evidence is consistently mounting that he, in fact, does not have any shame.

We've come to realize that Elon Musk and Donald Trump are strange on their own, and when they join forces, things can become even stranger. This is certainly the case for their dancing. Donald Trump's Thanksgiving sing-a-long surely left Barron Trump wishing he would have stayed at NYU, and when Musk joined in, it only made things worse. 

For a reason we may never fully understand, Donald and his cronies have adopted the Village People's "Y-M-C-A" as their signature song. Yes — this song was once considered a "gay anthem," though the group's frontman Victor Willis now vehemently rejects this notion, per CNN. And, yes — it has been adopted by an administration that is consistently curtailing and damaging LGBTQ+ rights. Despite the contradiction, Donald and Musk are often seen grooving to the song at events. At the Mar-A-Lago Thanksgiving dinner, Donald and Musk were seated next to each other like two true partners in crime. You may be thinking, "'Y-M-C-A' is easy to dance to! People have been performing this dance at weddings since the dawn of time! The moves are simply the shapes of the letters!" While all of this is true, it didn't stop Musk from making it his own. Instead of miming the letters with his hands like most people do, he stayed seated and pumped his fists in the air. This has basically become Musk's signature move, but it never stops causing us to cringe.

Are Donald Trump and Elon Musk dancing to "Y-M-C-A" again? Say it ain't so! It's true, and this time, it was far worse because they both really committed. Another holiday celebration at Mar-a-Lago, another Donald and Musk "Y-M-C-A" dance party. The tuxedo-clad buddies spent New Year's Eve together to kick off their 2025. The Village People's hit played while Musk and Donald both bounced around, jerkily moving their hands to the rhythm. Surprisingly, Melania Trump finally indulged Donald's dancing, but he only had eyes for Musk.

Elon looks like he's trying to milk a cow when he dances.

So cringe.pic.twitter.com/dADzhyGeAc

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) January 2, 2025

A clip of the dancing was posted to X, and one user made a wise observation, saying, "Elon looks like he's trying to milk a cow when he dances. So cringe." Another pointed out, "Trump and Elon are both horrible at whatever those moves are called." And, it seems that this dance moment ruined the "Y-M-C-A" for one commenter who claimed they couldn't stand to hear the song anymore. Maybe one day, Donald and Musk will do the actual "Y-M-C-A" dance to this song, but we won't hold our breath.

In 2022, Elon Musk and a drone joined forces to give the public a closeup of dance moves that no one should have to see. Unfortunately, YouTube has the evidence. At a Tesla Delivery Event in Berlin, Germany, Musk came face to face with a 4K drone camera. What should one do in this situation? A simple smile and wave would be nice. Anything that folks have done when coming in contact with a GlamBOT on the red carpet, perhaps. Of course, Musk just can't seem to resist a chance to show off his odd moves from a new angle. 

He took the opportunity to look at the drone camera head-on. At first, he simply smiled and swayed. Had he stopped there, we certainly would have let this one slide. But, knowing Musk, it's no surprise that this was merely the calm before the boot-scooting storm. He quickly dodged toward the camera and moved his hands awkwardly with one eyebrow raised, never breaking eye contact with the hovering camera. This one, in particular, may reappear in a nightmare or two.