Donald Trump admitted that he totally misread Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention in sending troops to the Ukraine border, saying he thought Putin was doing it as a “smart way to negotiate,” an interview in the Washington Examiner states.

Such a self-own will have little impact in the Trumpiverse, where Donald can do no wrong even when he admits to being wrong, but it’s an unusually accurate assessment of his own misjudgment.  Trump has previously claimed he could predict what Putin would do, saying he had that ability because they were friends, or they were very similar, or some such nonsense.

“I’m surprised — I’m surprised. I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border. I thought he was negotiating,” Trump told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday evening during a wide-ranging telephone interview. … I thought it was a tough way to negotiate but a smart way to negotiate. “I figured he was going to make a good deal like everybody else does with the United States and the other people they tend to deal with — you know, like every trade deal.  We’ve never made a good trade deal until I came along.  And then he went in — and I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed. It’s a very sad thing for the world. He’s very much changed.”

Trump’s self-praise aside, Trump has been lambasted recently for praising Putin for invading Ukraine “for two dollars in sanctions.”  With nearly 80% of Americans supporting US effort to work with allies to help Ukraine, vocal support for a murderous autocrat isn’t likely to be popular.