If it was merely an election ploy, why is he still doing it?
He wants to be re-elected doesn’t he? The question is: will he spend political capital on it? It’s easy enough to put it out there and simply claim later that he just didn’t have the support (without really spending any political capital).
It’s a little early to be pandering to your voter base for re-election, no? Easier still to leave it on the back burner where it was, citing more pressing issues in the economic and geopolitical spheres.
It IS in the back-burner. That’s off his website. Until he spends political capital on it, there’s no risk.