...he’s very good at verbal robe-a-dope
robe-a-dope= rope-a-dope
I hate to quibble, but what West does is not rope a dope. It’s in your face smash mouth. It’s the opposite of rope a dope, which is a defensive and passive strategy.
He does what Palin does for all of us - takes a lot of the fire - giving us cover.