Salute because he wants to (and it riles up his fanbase), immediately deny it because he wants to, and because it riles up his fanbase again, because nothing sa

Salute because he wants to (and it riles up his fanbase), immediately deny it because he wants to, and because it riles up his fanbase again, because nothing says "I am the man of power" like being able to deny what everybody's seen with their own eyes, and gloat at people shaking in rage. Things start to make a lot of sense w.r.t. Musk and Trump when you view them as bullies, and their supporters as wannabe bullies, and they're cheering for the greatest bullies they've ever seen in their lives.