A "forever war" works only if it was planned as a domestic control strategy, and this seems so unplanned, with inane diversions such as his bunker ballroom and focus on seashells, similar in ways to Emperor Caligula's seashell harvest.[0]

It would seem that he's buying time to think up some escape mechanism, as the damage and disruption mounts.

[0] https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/cali...

they can always lobby the government.