Not only that, Musk straight up decided to support Republican candidates who are vocally anti-environmental, anti-electrification, anti-incentives to shift consumer and industry change. He supported candidates and ideology that do not align with the buyers most likely to associate themselves with EVs.

I am not making a judgement here at all and I'm making zero comments on Musk's ideology or character, only that he made a poor branding decision by supporting a voting base and politicians that to not represent the folks most likely to buy a Tesla.

You don't need to argue the intent of the salute; you can just see which candidates he supported and donated to.

(It's fine to debate policy on things like incentives, but that is at least part of the reason why we see China making big leaps here because the government has aligned the incentives with buyers and manufacturers to make electrification the default)

Not even close, and anyone who pushes that narrative is intellectually dishonest. Watch the full video, watch almost every other high-profile politician that spread the hate do the exact same thing. It's frankly absurd, and was a major tipping point for me. I used to be patient and think other people could hold their own opinions and it's impossible to prove either way, but the evidence is staggering and letting the lies spread unchecked is bad for society.