Because his claims to care about “American jobs” are performative at best, is not in the white house to be a President, but to be a Grifter.

As someone put it, a win for infectious diseases, snake oil salesmen, and child size coffin manufacturers. . .

“I understood that reference”

It would go a bit of the way, but would be pretty difficult to accept as honest regret/empathy and not just trying to save face.