Edit: Just to clarify, my stance here is not “ignore everything Trump.” He has done and will do quite a lot of things that warrant attention and concern. He’s also a serial liar and world class bullshitter. A human testament to the phrase, “actions speak louder than words.” Donald Trump’s political success has always hinged on the fact that people are quick to forget that. He’s already working overtime to distract from the fact that the majority of his campaign promises were just lies and the sooner he can make the people who voted for him forget all the pie in the sky shit they were promised, the better.
One cannot “fuck around and find out” in nuclear diplomacy. Threats are threats and relying on distraction theory here is denial.
Distraction theory may work domestically, but not in diplomacy. Well, unless there’s evidence for something worse planned (compare Russia in the security council 2022-02-22).