On Monday, former Republican Max Boot called out President Donald Trump for “wagging the dog” and said the president’s attempt to distract the American people will not work, in a column for the Washington Post.

Boot said that President Trump often seeks to distract when he doesn’t get the praises he wished and called it “part of a pattern.”

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“Trump is clearly furious that he didn’t get the credit he thinks he deserves for a ‘Great meeting with Putin.’ Of course, not even his top aides know all of what was discussed or decided behind closed doors,” Boot wrote.

Boot then laid out President Trump’s attempt to distract the American people from his negative headlines about meeting with Vladimir Putin.

“His first attempt, on Friday, was to tweet about his favorite controversy: National Football League players kneeling during the national anthem,” he wrote.

“Try, try again. Hence his Sunday night threat against Iran. Coming from any other president, this out-of-the-blue, all caps, ultimatum would have led to suggestions that he’s hitting the bottle,” he said.

Boot went on to say that President Trump can’t handle real conflict. “The president loves to bluff, but, like many bullies, he is actually a coward who is afraid of real conflict.”