I don't think he's dumb at all, if what you say is correct. He wanted to block something for his own benefit and he achieved it.

I'm not convinced that's the case. I tend to think he just saw something he found cool and triggered his narcissism so he had to come up with something he thought was cooler. That something turned out to be BS and he just dropped the idea and moved on.

He is ruthlessly cunning. Not unusual in sociopaths and narcissists.