Yep. He was happy to tell everyone the "new deal" was good for him and that's all he cared about. It preserved his pay (or so he thinks) as opposed to seeing it falter to 12-year scale, but now that it may be on the rocks, he's gone to panic mode. He believes he may indeed get to "ride this thing into the ground".

He'll die of a heart attack before that happens. Try not to shed a tear, it's just karma in action.