“He knows what he’s doing” implies it’s all just marketing

Both of those things suggest this ISN’T who he is and what he believes
And is instead all an act, a performance, like any other actor

So yes, it’s a huge out for him

They’re plea cops

I’ll fall back in the mental illness part, because that diagnosis is apparently in question, and I’m not a fan of diagnosing people from afar.

But the other two are firm defenses of his antics IMO

It’s possible we’re just talking past each other (not you and, just the two opinions in general), and we’re each missing what the other means when they say it.