In the UK we call it a dead cat strategy.

There is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout, ‘Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!’ In other words, they will be talking about the dead cat – the thing you want them to talk about – and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief.[1]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_strategy

I don't know how much it's he despises her, vs how much he despises what he thinks woke people and the woke education system did to her.

Believe me when I say that it is not to help Trump win Texas. I've lived here for over 40 years, and for the last 25, I have kept hearing how this is a "purple state" and "it's gonna be a swing state soon".

It's not.

It's not, it never has been, it never will be, and it's never been worse here. Which is why I'm leaving this hellhole once and for all next week with my cat, and I ain't never looking back.