I am quite sure he said exactly what he wanted to say and his staff knew what he would say and was ready with a seeming walk back. The words cannot be unsaid. China got the exact message he wanted to send. Joe can play multidimensional chess. Right-wingers only know how to knock shit down.
What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. -Christopher Hitchens
Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts
"God did it" is not an argument. It is an excuse for intellectual laziness.
If your viewpoint has merits and facts to back it up why would you have to lie?