No, he could just be a flaming narcissist, doing whatever he thinks makes him look the best for the next five minutes.

Or he could be running scared of the Epstein files, and desperate to do something - anything - to distract the public.

Or he could just think that his superficial level of understanding is deeper than everyone else's, so anyone who disagrees is wrong or stupid or both.

Or he could know that he doesn't know, but think that he has to look like he knows, because if the image cracks, it's all over.

So, no, blackmail is not the only option that makes sense.