If someone is willing to make excuses for Musk's nazi salutes, despite how overt and obvious it is, then they are also going to be willing to make excuses when nazis actually come for you or your friends.

In other words, anyone trying to defend this - including trying to play it down, trivialize it, 'reinterpret' it, call for 'reason', and so on - is a nazi sympathizer, regardless of what they claim their ideology or intent to be.