‘Woke’ CBS Meteorologist Hit With Repercussions in Slanderous Firestorm Claiming Elon Musk Made ‘Nazi Salute’

Firestorms seem to follow Elon Musk.  But, then again, they seem to follow President Trump as well.

When you stir the pot, that can often happen.

This particular firestorm wasn’t exactly new to begin with, but it certainly sprouted larger wings than usual.

Rumors have often been circulated that Elon Musk is a Nazi at heart, though there never seems to be any validity to this specific theory — at least not one that I have ever taken seriously.

But that hasn’t stopped people from bringing it back up.

And when Elon himself made an admittedly awkward show of heartfelt appreciation for those in attendance during an inaugural event… the doorway was wide open for more Nazi rumors.

Sam Kuffel, a meteorologist with a CBS affiliate, apparently couldn’t resist that open door, and she walked right on through.

It was Kuffel who allegedly initiated the online firestorm claiming that Musk had made a “Nazi salute”, and not just a heartfelt gesture of appreciation.

She first posted the following to social media in response to Elon’s gesture:

And she quickly followed it with this ‘companion post’:

Social media responded to the accusations as you would expect; some adamantly defended Elon, including his father.

Others simply took it as what they had already accepted — Elon Musk is a Nazi (in very good disguise, in my opinion), and since President Trump is “literally Hitler”… that explains perfectly why they are now in cahoots together.

But for Sam Kuffel the accusations had repercussions in the form of unemployment when the CBS affiliate she worked for fired her as a result of her public-facing accusations.

Milwaukee CBS weather reporter Sam Kuffel fired after criticizing Elon Musk ‘Nazi salute’ on Instagram https://t.co/z4hojRfAQp pic.twitter.com/B3YjuX68kz

— New York Post (@nypost) January 23, 2025

Kuffel’s job-ending post was apparently the direct reason for her dismissal from the CBS affiliate, according to a report in the New York Post:

A local meteorologist who worked for Milwaukee’s CBS affiliate was fired from her job after she posted criticism on social media denouncing Elon Musk as a “Nazi” over his controversial arm gesture at a pro-Trump rally.

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Sam Kuffel, the weather reporter for CBS 58, was let go by the station a day after she posted two items on her Instagram page condemning Musk.

In one post, Kuffel commented on an image of Musk at the podium, writing: “Dude Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration.”

She added, “You f–k with this and this man, I don’t f–k with you. Full stop.”

Kuffel then posted a GIF from the hit TV show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” along with the caption: “Screw that old b—h. He’s a Nazi.”

“Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58,” CBS 58 news director Jessie Garcia wrote to staffers in a memo that was obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“A search for a replacement is underway.”

A representative of Weigel Broadcasting Co., the company that owns the station, confirmed the dismissal in an emailed statement to the Journal Sentinel on Wednesday.

Of note, the same New York Post article references an incident during an NFL Packers-Lions game a few years ago that might indicated a tendency to go to war on social media, expecting no repercussions, as many are now prone to do.

Kuffel ‘made headlines’ when she accused the Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter of lying about a weather alert before the game.

The Fox reporter later reached out on X asking how to contact Kuffel in order to verify the weather report that Kuffel accused them of making up:

Kuffel, who has worked at local stations in the Wisconsin area since graduating from college in 2016, made headlines this past fall when she accused Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews of fabricating a weather alert during a Packers-Lions game in Green Bay.

“Begging Erin Andrews to stop making up weather alerts,” Kuffel said in a since-deleted post on X, adding, “stuff like this makes me irrationally angry.”

Andrews sent a message to the meteorologist, writing on X, “hey Sam! Just saw the story [about] your tweet,” Andrews wrote. “Let me know the best way to touch base. Wanted to show you where Fox security (working the game) and I got our Weather Alert for the Packers game! Thx!!”

The secondary firestorm is now underway, with one side backing CBS for making the right call.

Others, like WTMJ 620’s radio personality Steve Scaffidi called the company out, saying that firing Kuffel was far to severe for simply speaking her mind:

"Shame on you…and shame on us if we allow this to go on."

Steve Scaffidi called out CBS 58 today regarding the unjust firing of meteorologist Sam Kuffel for criticizing Elon Musk's salute.

Hear more from the Political Power Hour: https://t.co/t76F1iQBTy pic.twitter.com/zsUH4dlian

— 620 WTMJ (@620wtmj) January 23, 2025

I can’t help but notice that Scaffidi’s problem with the CBS decision to fire Kuffel seemed rather amplified by the fact that she was a woman meteorologist — as he made sure to point out.

The firing was quick, with Kuffel’s picture removed from the station’s website and staffers alerted by email on Wednesday that she had been fired, according to a story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Staffers at WDJT-TV (Channel 58) were alerted by email on Wednesday that meteorologist Sam Kuffel had left the station. Her biography and picture had been removed from Channel 58 website by Wednesday afternoon.

“Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58,” said the staff memo from news director Jessie Garcia that was obtained by the Journal Sentinel. “A search for a replacement is underway.”

A spokeswoman for Weigel Broadcasting Co. confirmed via email late Wednesday that Kuffel was no longer with Channel 58. But the spokeswoman said she couldn’t comment further because this was a personnel issue.

While I have mixed feelings on this, and my strong libertarian leanings tend to argue that you can say anything, anytime, about anyone — because that is freedom — my rational side reminds me that it is illegal to slander a person and cause them possible harm (financially or otherwise) for a reason.

And considering the season we are in, and the season we are (hopefully!) coming out of, it is hard for me to condemn the ramifications Kuffel is facing — as a member of the press — for making such brash, unsubstantiated comments based on nothing more than a subjective reading of a gesture that has been made dozens of times in recent memory, and which is, in fact, a universal gesture of gratitude.

Not to mention… woe be unto those who do not recognize the changing of the winds as #TrumpFactor alters how much ‘woke’ nonsense people are willing to tolerate.