When you have a habit of saying really stupid things your options are limited.  You can "double down on them" and be even more stupid.  You can deny you said them...doesn't work real well in today's world of instant video recordings and instant access to them.  You can trivialize them as sarcasm, "tongue-in-cheek, or just a little humor.  A fourth option is to apologize and then try to say fewer really stupid things in the future.  This fourth option is the one Mr. Trump has yet to try....