I think he gets it. Supposedly, according to the NY Times' story I read some years back, he got 1600 on the SAT way back when. That's a perfect score. He thinks we're that dumb, IMHO. That's why they brag about bringing home assorted pork from D.C., whether it is something absurd and bizarre or infrastructure maintenance.
Some of *us* are that dumb; present company excluded.
Too many people seem to think government handouts are freebies. You are probably right about him getting it.