# Post ts_109345235888031075

- Post ID: `ts_109345235888031075`
- Platform: Truth Social
- Posted: 2022-11-15T01:31:29.503Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_109345235888031075
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_109345235888031075/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_109345235888031075.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> I had great success over the years, starting in 2016, in beating Club for Growth, a Conservative group of very nice people who, for whatever reason, fought me all the way. Then they wanted to get together with me (were losing a lot), made peace, and we had an unblemished list of endorsement victories, but sadly, broke over J.D. Vance, who they didn’t like, & I did. They spent a fortune against him, but I endorsed J.D., he did great, & WON big. Guess they now like RINOs!

## Engagement

- Likes: 25,772
- Reposts: 5,601
- Replies: 1,548
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.429Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-20T00:17:25.793Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## Summary

On the eve of his expected 2024 presidential announcement, amid widespread criticism of Trump-endorsed candidates' midterm underperformance, this post selectively highlights the J.D. Vance victory to maintain his kingmaker narrative. The psychological function is clear: narrative repair through cherry-picking. While Trump-backed candidates lost high-profile Senate races in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, he spotlights Ohio — a genuine success — and frames it as representative. The post employs pathological distortion (selective evidence to preserve grandiose self-image) and splitting (Club for Growth instantly recategorized as "RINO" sympathizers for one disagreement). The narrative arc — opposition, submission, betrayal, vindication — is a characteristic Trump construction that places him at the center of all political gravity. The timing suggests strategic pre-announcement credibility maintenance rather than spontaneous reaction.

## Psychological Analysis: Club for Growth / J.D. Vance Post (2022-11-15)

### Context
Posted at 8:31 PM ET on November 14 (eve of his expected 2024 announcement), amid widespread criticism of Trump-endorsed candidates' midterm underperformance. This post selectively highlights J.D. Vance — one of his genuine endorsement successes — while the broader narrative was of Trump-backed candidates losing key Senate races.

### Authorship
8:31 PM ET is late evening but not classic late-night posting. The stream-of-consciousness style, run-on sentence structure, parenthetical asides ("were losing a lot"), and the sarcastic closing ("Guess they now like RINOs!") are characteristic of authentic Trump. The narrative is personal and emotionally engaged rather than professionally formatted.

### Psychological Dynamics
This post is a **supply-seeking and narrative-repair** operation. With midterm losses dominating coverage and threatening his planned 2024 announcement, Trump cherry-picks a success story to reassert his kingmaker identity. The Club for Growth narrative follows his classic arc: opposition → submission → betrayal, casting himself as the figure others orbit around.

The closing jab ("Guess they now like RINOs!") is a splitting maneuver — anyone who opposes his picks is instantly recategorized as ideologically impure. This is **preemptive blame displacement** ahead of the announcement, establishing that failures belong to those who defied him.

### Defense Mechanisms
- **Distortion**: Selective framing of one win amid numerous losses to maintain grandiose self-image
- **Splitting**: Club for Growth cast from ally to enemy; binary RINO/loyalist framework
- **Rationalization**: Constructing a narrative where his endorsement power is validated despite contrary evidence

### Rhetorical Analysis
The post uses a **redemption-then-contamination** narrative structure: he conquered Club for Growth, they submitted, they betrayed him over Vance, but he won anyway. The "RINO" label is deployed as an excommunication device — standard in-group/out-group enforcement.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Had an unblemished list of endorsement victories with Club for Growth" | **Mostly True** | After initial conflicts, Trump and Club for Growth did align on many candidates with strong win rates in safe seats, though 'unblemished' is likely hyperbolic |
| "Club for Growth spent a fortune against J.D. Vance" | **True** | Club for Growth spent approximately $10 million opposing Vance in the 2022 Ohio GOP Senate primary |
| "J.D. Vance won big" | **True** | Vance won the Ohio Senate general election by approximately 6.6 points over Tim Ryan |

Overall Veracity: 93%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 82%)

### Indicators

- Stream-of-consciousness run-on sentence
- Parenthetical asides ('were losing a lot')
- Sarcastic closing rhetorical flourish
- 8:31 PM ET evening posting
- Personal narrative tone

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Defeat (Midterm losses of Trump-endorsed candidates undermining his political influence narrative)

Sentiment: +0.30

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 60%
- Antisocial: 10%
- Paranoid: 20%
- Sadism: 10%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- distortion (pathological)
- splitting (immature)
- rationalization (neurotic)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 50%

Cognitive Markers:
- tangentiality

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Inviting audience to share contempt for disloyal allies
- Positioning self as vindicated kingmaker

## Fact Checks (3)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-03-20._

> Had an unblemished list of endorsement victories with Club for Growth

**MOSTLY TRUE**

After initial conflicts, Trump and Club for Growth did align on many candidates with strong win rates in safe seats, though 'unblemished' is likely hyperbolic

> Club for Growth spent a fortune against J.D. Vance

**TRUE**

Club for Growth spent approximately $10 million opposing Vance in the 2022 Ohio GOP Senate primary

> J.D. Vance won big

**TRUE**

Vance won the Ohio Senate general election by approximately 6.6 points over Tim Ryan

Overall Veracity: 93%

## Tags

- narrative_repair (80%)
- endorsement_record (70%)
- splitting (60%)
- club_for_growth (70%)
- jd_vance (60%)

## That day

_From trump.fm's machine-generated digest of the day, not his words._

**On the Eve of His 2024 Announcement, Trump Curates a Narrative of Invincibility While Privately Processing Midterm Losses**

The night before his 2024 presidential campaign announcement at Mar-a-Lago, Trump stayed up past 1 AM posting a curated mix of wins and grievances. The mood was overwhelmingly self-congratulatory — cherry-picking endorsement victories, sharing legal wins, and hyping the big day ahead — with one brief flash of victimhood over Kari Lake's loss in Arizona. A burst of five posts in under an hour after midnight suggests restless, pre-announcement energy rather than a calm leader preparing for a historic moment.

Full digest for 2022-11-15: https://trump.fm/date/2022-11-15/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2022, November 15). I had great success over the years, starting in... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_109345235888031075
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "I had great success over the years, starting in 2016, in..." Truth Social, 15 Nov. 2022. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_109345235888031075. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "I had great success over the years, starting in 2016, in...," Truth Social, November 15, 2022, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_109345235888031075.

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