Again, talk of declaring yourself VFR or IFR when in G is interesting but irrelevant.
This was in Class D at all material times from what FFF said in his initial post.
VFR or IFR transits are negotiated as such and don't change just because the pilot thinks he/she can change the rules whenever they like: If the rules need to change it needs to be renegotiated.
Suggesting/saying/implying "it doesn't matter" is a bit crap imo even if they're only "paper rules"...