In a Monday night appearance on comedian Seth Myer’s show, Late Night with Seth Myer, New Jersey Senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker said that there are times he wants to punch President Donald Trump.

“My testosterone sometimes makes me want to feel like punching [Trump], which would be bad for this elderly, out-of-shape man that he is if I did that – a physically weak specimen,” Booker told Myers. A moment later, Booker seemed to backtrack, saying “That’s his tactics. And you don’t beat a bully like him, fighting him on his tactics, on his terms, using his turf. He’s the body-shamer, he’s the guy that… tries to drag people in the gutter.”

So after calling Trump out of shape and a physically weak specimen, Booker, in the very next statement said that Trump is the name-caller.

It is fair to assume that Booker’s remarks were completely planned. Booker’s candidacy started off strong but his poll numbers have floundered in recent months as he has failed to struck a chord with Democratic voters. Beginning his campaign saying that he will focus only on positivity has not spoken well to the Democratic base, who are clamoring for a fighter to brawl with Trump.

Seeing his candidacy slowly slipping away, Booker probably made a conscious decision to disparage Trump, hoping to coax a response out of him. If he is successful, the strategy just might pay off. A response by Trump attacking Booker or challenging him to a fight, would give Booker a lot of much-needed national attention.