On Monday afternoon, for reasons that remain unclear but possibly involve the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping nearly 3,000 points, or someone he knows personally testing positive for COVID-19, Donald Trump held a press conference and actually sounded in touch with reality re: the coronavirus. Announcing new guidelines to slow the disease, including school closings and limiting gatherings to fewer than 10 people, the president told reporters the situation was “bad” and that the outbreak could last through August or longer. In a wildly unusual turn of events—for him—Trump even admitted that the economy could be headed into a recession, an acknowledgement he would have sooner sacrificed his first born than make before today.

Obviously, this was a remarkable change in tone for a man who has repeatedly insisted that the rapidly escalating health crisis is under “control,” and just yesterday claimed everyone should “relax” because “we’re doing great.” One might have even gotten the impression that the real Donald Trump was locked away in the White House basement Man in the Iron Mask–style, and that the guy speaking at the lectern was Ronald Trump, the twin he imprisoned long ago, sprung from his shackles to save the country by a concerned group of West Wing aides. Or at least, one might have if Trump hadn‘t given us a sign that it was still him up there:

In addition to rating his handling of the crisis—which has included downplaying it for nearly two months, not wanting to let people off a cruise ship because they would hurt his “numbers,” calling criticism of his response to the disease a hoax, and turning down test kits from the World Health Organization—the president also refused to fully disavow the ridiculous guidance of Republican allies like the governor of Oklahoma and Devin Nunes, the latter of whom has proclaimed “It’s a great time to just go out.”

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the man who has no problem using the full weight of the federal government when it comes to matters that will personally benefit him, told state officials this: