Distraction.

He’ll often use contradictory actions/statements to distract from things that are true but politically disadvantageous/unpopular.

For example, he said he’d have an easier time dealing with Canada’s new Liberal PM than the Conservative shitstain running for office.

This is false - he lies about this to help the Conservative and project strength when he knows full well our new guy will mop the floor with him.

In this instance his ties to Putin are unpopular and he’s pulling some real terrible shit to help Putin with Ukraine. So he distracts by saying he’s mad at Putin.

It’s really easy to spot when you look at what he does through the lens of bad wrestling or reality tv story writing.

“Historians have a word for Germans who joined the Nazi party, not because they hated Jews, but out of a hope for restored patriotism, or a sense of economic anxiety, or a hope to preserve their religious values, or dislike of their opponents, or raw political opportunism, or convenience, or ignorance, or greed.

That word is “Nazi.” Nobody cares about their motives any more.

They joined what they joined. They lent their support and their moral approval. And, in so doing, they bound themselves to everything that came after. Who cares any more what particular knot they used in the binding?”