I don't disagree that he is extremely image conscious. He is also very good at convincing people that the image he projects for himself is real. I disagree that he knows how not to cross lines. He crosses many lines (like the attempted coup), but gets away with stuff with lawsuits, wealth or doing something even more absure the next day. Or like you said, he lets someone else take the blame.
His fake tough guy routine is not real and we know that because there are no examples of him actually being a tough guy. His image of himself as a playboy who is able to get any woman he wants is also fake, but there are many examples of him being accused of crossing the line there. It's why he bought all the beauty pageants and why he's has been accused by dozens of women of abuse.