>Trump has for years used words like "hoax," "canard," "mythical," "con job," "nonexistent," and "bulls---" to reject mainstream climate science:

[long string of anti-science tweets]

I'm not sure what your point is exactly? That it was a "joke" but he also believed it? Because he says in that "admission":

>And I often joke that this is done for the benefit of China — obviously I joke — but this done for the benefit of China.

So is he saying its for the benefit of China or not? At best it seems that he's trying to say it but weasel out of any accountability for saying it.