There are a lot of oil-related reasons his handlers have convinced him to do it. But I’d wager the reason Trump is doing it is to take focus off of the Epstein files. With the new evidence that Trump sent underage girls to Epstein, it seems very likely we’ll find out Trump was actively part of organized trafficking.

Trump is not a smart person, but he knows what works. Whenever things aren’t going his way, he will escalate and distract, delay reckoning until everyone has moved on.