I'm not convinced he ever gave a shit about it in the first place. It very well could have just been a way to grift War Department money and skirt regulations. Back when he still had a PR company, they also seemed to realize that "I'm trying to save human civilization and the light of consciousness" plays well with a certain segment of the population, and got him to lean into it. Since he's been managing his own PR, the messaging has been a lot less sane/consistent.