# Post ts_109547459072403993

- Post ID: `ts_109547459072403993`
- Platform: Truth Social
- Posted: 2022-12-20T18:39:30.318Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_109547459072403993
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_109547459072403993/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_109547459072403993.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> In other words, John Eastman and others were correct in stating that the Vice President of the United States had the right to do what should have been done. The only reason this change is being promulgated is to reform The Electoral Count Act so that the VP cannot do what they powerfully said he couldn’t do, but if it couldn’t be done, why are they making this law change? The whole thing is one big Scam!https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3781781-rand-paul-endorses-electoral-court-act-reform/

## Engagement

- Likes: 14,202
- Reposts: 4,786
- Replies: 674
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.425Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-20T01:14:53.454Z (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 day the Jan. 6 Committee voted to criminally refer him to the DOJ, Trump posted a series of defiant messages, this one explicitly endorsing John Eastman's theory that Vice President Pence had the constitutional authority to reject electoral votes. Trump constructs a circular argument: if the VP lacked this power, why is Congress reforming the Electoral Count Act? This ignores the routine legislative purpose of clarifying ambiguous statutory language. The post is psychologically significant because it demonstrates zero contrition or strategic retreat in the face of criminal referral—instead doubling down on the very legal theory cited as evidence of criminal conduct. The rationalization defense is prominent: legislative reform is recast as vindication. The danger level is elevated because Trump continues to legitimize the framework that the VP should have unilaterally overturned the 2020 election, maintaining the ideological foundation for future election subversion attempts. The post reflects grandiose narcissistic functioning with epistemic closure—all contradictory evidence is absorbed into the conspiracy narrative rather than prompting reassessment.

## Analysis: Electoral Count Act Reform as Vindication

### Context
This post was made on December 20, 2022, the same day the Jan. 6 Committee voted to refer Trump for criminal charges. Trump is responding to Rand Paul's endorsement of Electoral Count Act reform, using it as a logical proof that Pence *did* have the power to reject electors on January 6, 2021.

### Authorship
Posted at ~1:39 PM ET (Trump likely at Mar-a-Lago). The post is grammatically coherent but contains Trump's characteristic rhetorical style—the circular logic argument, the capitalized "Scam," the self-referential framing. This reads as authentic Trump, possibly dictated or lightly polished, during a period of intense posting (five posts on this date, all on the same theme).

### Psychological Analysis
This post is part of a sustained flurry responding to the Jan. 6 Committee criminal referral. The core argument—"if the VP couldn't do it, why change the law?"—is a classic rationalization defense, reframing legislative reform as retroactive proof of his position. The circular reasoning is deployed with genuine conviction.

The post validates John Eastman's legal theory (the basis for the criminal referral) on the same day Trump was referred for prosecution partly for relying on that theory. This represents doubling down under threat rather than distancing—consistent with narcissistic defiance patterns.

### Rhetorical Structure
The argument has surface-level logical appeal ("why fix what isn't broken?") but ignores the obvious answer: legislation often clarifies ambiguities to prevent future exploitation, not to concede past legality. The framing as "one big Scam" dismisses institutional reform as conspiracy.

### Danger Assessment
This post explicitly endorses the theory that the VP should have unilaterally overturned the election. Coming on the day of criminal referral, it signals zero contrition and continued commitment to the framework that produced January 6.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "John Eastman and others were correct that the VP had the right to reject electors" | **False** | Constitutional scholars overwhelmingly reject this theory. Federal judge David Carter found Eastman's theory 'more likely than not' violated federal law. Eastman was later disbarred. |
| "The Electoral Count Act reform proves the VP had the power" | **False** | The ECA Reform Act clarified the VP's role as purely ceremonial, addressing ambiguous 1887 language. Clarifying ambiguity does not validate the rejected interpretation. |

Overall Veracity: 0%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 75%)

### Indicators

- Afternoon posting time (business hours)
- Characteristic circular logic style
- Capitalized 'Scam'
- Link sharing with editorial framing
- Coherent grammar suggests possible light editing

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Jan. 6 Committee criminal referral)

Sentiment: -0.40

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Five posts on same day, all same theme
- Pressured ideation cycling through related arguments

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 60%
- Antisocial: 50%
- Paranoid: 40%
- Sadism: 10%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- rationalization (neurotic)
- denial (pathological)
- distortion (pathological)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 55%

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- inviting audience into shared logical discovery
- us-vs-them framing

## Danger Assessment

**ELEVATED**

### Indicators

- Explicitly endorses theory that VP should have overturned election results
- Validates legal framework underlying January 6 events
- Zero contrition on day of criminal referral

### Gaslighting

- Reframes legislative reform as admission of wrongdoing by opponents
- Implies 'they' lied about VP's constitutional powers

## Fact Checks (2)

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

> John Eastman and others were correct that the VP had the right to reject electors

**FALSE**

Constitutional scholars overwhelmingly reject this theory. Federal judge David Carter found Eastman's theory 'more likely than not' violated federal law. Eastman was later disbarred.

Sources: Federal court ruling, Eastman v. Thompson; Constitutional law consensus

> The Electoral Count Act reform proves the VP had the power

**FALSE**

The ECA Reform Act clarified the VP's role as purely ceremonial, addressing ambiguous 1887 language. Clarifying ambiguity does not validate the rejected interpretation.

Sources: Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022

Overall Veracity: 0%

## Tags

- election_denial (100%)
- jan6_defense (90%)
- eastman_theory (90%)
- electoral_count_act (80%)
- criminal_referral_response (95%)

## That day

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

**Criminal Referral Day: Trump Unleashes 20-Post Defensive Barrage as Jan. 6 Committee Votes to Prosecute**

Trump spent the day in sustained defensive mode after the January 6 Committee voted to criminally refer him to the Department of Justice. He posted 20 times, with two intense bursts -- four posts in an hour that morning and five more in just fifteen minutes that afternoon -- all hammering the same message: the FBI rigged the 2020 election, January 6 was a justified protest, and his accusers are the real insurrectionists. By mid-afternoon the original posts gave way to a rapid dump of six supportive news links, and the evening wound down with a pair of gloomy retweets. The mood was angry and defensive throughout, with flashes of grandiosity when he found arguments he believed vindicated him.

Full digest for 2022-12-20: https://trump.fm/date/2022-12-20/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2022, December 20). In other words, John Eastman and others were... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_109547459072403993
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "In other words, John Eastman and others were correct in..." Truth Social, 20 Dec. 2022. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_109547459072403993. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "In other words, John Eastman and others were correct in...," Truth Social, December 20, 2022, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_109547459072403993.

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