Is it just me, or is it the case that Trump’s switch from “would” to “wouldn’t” is a distinction without a difference? I’m speaking, of course, about his recent obsequious performance with Vladimir Putin.

In the midst of denying that Russia hacked into our presidential election, he said, with great profundity, “Why would Russia want to do that?”

He thought he hit a grand slam in Helsinki until he watched cable news on the flight back to D.C. some of his aides persuaded him that many people understood him to mean that Russia did not hack into our election, even though his own intelligence services were certain they did.

To make things right, Trump said he meant yo say “wouldn’t,” not “would.”

He misspoke.

He meant to say, “Why wouldn’t Russia want to do it?”

Unless I am very much mistaken, the new wording is even more damning than the original.

“Why would Russia want to do that?”

“Why wouldn’t Russia want to do that?”

Do you see a change of meaning, a reversal?

I don’t.