The reality is that even if he didn't do it intentionally, or did it in such a way that it could only be ambiguous (which i agree, it is) - he's 100% the type of person to lean into the controversy it creates. At that time, building favor with trump voters was good for him. Further any of your examples shown with a video and the full context would clearly not be misinterpreted. It's a full motion gesture and only video captures it unless there are swastickas and white hooded men.

You're just going to totally ignore the "My heart goes out to you guys"? with his palm in his chest?

I've seen behavior of a lot of people akin to someone would pejoratively refer to as "MAGA Types" / common conservatives. The absolute majority of them aren't welcoming of so deep /pol/ 4chan meme politicking or signaling. They likely won't take it too seriously, but they sure as hell won't cozy up to it.

When this happened there was no live reaction because people didn't interpret this as such. This has only became a thing later. And he did not even acknowledge the crazy accusations of him having intendedly done a salute, he did not "lean in to it". What on earth would he even gain from that?!

I don’t see even entertaining the idea of ‘he did it intentionally’ meaning if he "intentionally did a n** salute" as sincere. That’s just a painted-by-bias angle to come from, trying to move goal posts. Better be wary of the people who would instead engage in that.

> he's 100% the type of person to lean into the controversy it creates

Except, objectively speaking, he actually did NOT do that. He basically just ignored the “controversy” because it was such an obviously false narrative meant only to smear him that I’m sure he had enough faith in most Americans who aren’t consumed by partisanship to see it exactly for what it was.

> At that time, building favor with trump voters was good for him.

Your implication here seems to be that Trump voters, en masse, want folks who are doing Nazi salutes, or am I misunderstanding you?