Donald Trump has sent some questionable tweets in the past, but none have been so mind-boggling as one posted early Thursday morning.

“They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!” the Republican presidential nominee tweeted at around 8am.

Is Trump claiming he was the driving force behind Britain’s decision to quit the European Union? Or that his troubled campaign, like Brexit, will end in surprise victory? Who knows, but as Trump likes to do when he asks: “Did Obama create Isis?” or “Is Hillary a murderer?”, we can take the available facts and say: we don’t know, but that’s what people are asking.

On Twitter, the reaction to Trump’s new incarnation spanned bewilderment to sarcasm:

This isn't at all the demeanor of a man who starts the day by huffing paint from a Waterford Scotch decanter, no sir https://t.co/bwL991yJt9 — Anna Merlan (@annamerlan) August 18, 2016

They call me Bell

They call me Stacey

They call me her

They call me Mr. Brexit

That's not my name

That's not my name

That's not my name

That — Jeva Lange (@Jee_vuh) August 18, 2016

MR. BREXIT is a decent WWE wrestler name — Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) August 18, 2016

The one and only Mr. Brexit pic.twitter.com/4khNIcuFJI — Elliott Schwartz (@elliosch) August 18, 2016

You misspelled Bullshit. And we've been calling you that for a while now. https://t.co/5G7eeE7Upa — John Dingell (@JohnDingell) August 18, 2016

“Mr. Brexit? Because you’ll destroy the US economy, @realDonaldTrump, the way Brexit hurt the one in the UK? #Dipshit,” wrote TV anchor Keith Olbermann.

But what did Trump really mean? There are some clues. First, it’s clear that Trump is an ardent supporter of the leave campaign – or at least, he became one when he finally found out what it was.

When Trump was asked by journalist Michael Wolff for a Hollywood Reporter interview published in June what he thought about Brexit, he was flummoxed:

“And Brexit? Your position?” I ask. “Huh?” replied Trump. “Brexit.” “Hmm.” “The Brits leaving the EU,” I prompt, realizing that his lack of familiarity with one of the most pressing issues in Europe is for him no concern nor liability at all. “Oh yeah, I think they should leave.”

The UK vote – inspired, in part, by fears of immigration and anger with the way the economy has been gamed by a global elite – has clear echoes of the billionaire property tycoon’s own platform. Immigration “has been a horrible thing” for Britain, he told Fox News. “A lot of that was pushed by the EU,” he said.

And after the vote, on his trip to Scotland to promote his golf course, Trump called the vote “a great victory,” attributing the Brexit vote to immigration and opposition to the “global elite” before boarding his gilded private jet to return to the US campaign trail.

But why go back to Brexit now? Assuming Trump reads more than his own press cuttings, he may have spotted some news that suggests Brexit has not, as yet, been as catastrophic to the UK economy as first feared.

Yesterday, the US Federal Reserve issued the minutes of its latest meeting and mentioned Brexit 20 times. However, for all its concern the Fed concluded that Brexit had had little impact on the US and global economy. And in the UK, public confidence has rebounded after the Brexit vote, with consumers shrugging off fears of imminent doom.

Of course, the consequences of Brexit (or a Trump victory) will play out over years, not weeks. All of Britain’s trade agreements with the EU must now be renegotiated. Top companies including Ford and Goldman Sachs have warned they may cut back or leave the UK following the vote.

Back in the US, Trump’s economic policies are under attack and he has been forced to reshuffle his election team in the face of withering polls. But just for a moment this morning, maybe, Trump thought he’d backed a winner. And like the Brexit, he’ll surprise us all come November.

Go ahead, call him MR BREXIT.

