Analysis: The Vice President did indeed have the power to send Elector...

3y ago Dec 25, 2022 at 9:32 PM

The Vice President did indeed have the power to send Electoral Votes back to State Legislatures for reapproval despite the constant drum from Democrats and RINOS that he “ABSOLUTELY DID NOT.” BUT, they just put CLARIFYING language in the disgraceful “OMINOUS” BILL, making sure that A V.P. DOESN’T DO WHAT THEY ALL SAID COULD NOT BE DONE. So why the new language? Because it was just another political Con Job!

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AI Analysis

Machine-generated analysis of the post above on 2026-03-20. Not written by the author of the post.

Danger Level

Elevated

Narcissistic State

Grandiose

Authorship

Self-Written

Intensity

70%

On Christmas Day 2022—days after the Jan 6 committee's criminal referral and final report—Trump posts a revisionist argument about VP electoral powers. He constructs a superficially logical but fallacious syllogism: because Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act clarifying the VP's ministerial role, the VP must have previously possessed the power to reject electors. This is pathological distortion serving ego-protection. The post represents continued DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender): Trump, who pressured Pence to reject certified results, positions himself as the victim of a "Con Job." The inability to disengage from this grievance on Christmas, combined with five other high-intensity posts the same day, suggests perseverative fixation on the 2020 election loss. The danger is elevated not through violent imagery but through continued legitimization of extralegal election subversion, reframing democratic safeguards as evidence of conspiracy. This post is part of a longitudinal pattern visible across all Christmas Day posts: catastrophizing about national decline, claims of persecution, and inability to inhabit any psychological space outside grievance—even during a holiday traditionally associated with peace and family. The grandiose narcissistic state predominates, with the subject casting himself as the vindicated truth-teller against a corrupt establishment.

Authorship Analysis

Self-Written

Indicators:

ALL CAPS emphasis throughout
Stream-of-consciousness argumentative style
Emotional reactivity to Jan 6 committee actions
Christmas Day posting at ~4:30 PM EST (Mar-a-Lago) - afternoon but consistent with reactive posting
Characteristic rhetorical structure ending with 'Con Job'

Psychological Profile

▶ State

Grandiose State

Trigger: Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Jan 6 committee criminal referral and final report)

Rage: Intensity 60% targeting Democrats, RINOs, and implicitly Pence

Proportionality

40%

Sentiment

-0.60

Mildly Hypomanic

Multiple high-intensity posts on Christmas DayInability to disengage from grievance even during holiday

▶ Clinical

Malignant Narcissism:

Narcissistic

70%

Antisocial

60%

Paranoid

50%

Sadism

20%

Defense Mechanisms:

distortionrationalizationprojection

Cognitive Complexity:

Complexity

55%

Parasocial Techniques:

Inviting audience into his logical framework as co-discoverers of the 'truth'Creating in-group solidarity against 'Democrats and RINOs'

Danger Assessment

Elevated

Indicators:

Continued legitimization of extralegal means to overturn elections
Frames democratic safeguards as evidence of conspiracy

Gaslighting Detected:

Rewriting the Jan 6 narrative to make the pressure on Pence seem legitimate
DARVO pattern: positions himself as the wronged party when he was the one attempting to subvert certification

Reality Distortions:

Frames legislative clarification as admission that VP previously had power to reject electors
Implies the entire constitutional consensus was a 'Con Job'

Fact Checks (2)

"The Vice President had the power to send Electoral Votes back to State Legislatures for reapproval"

False

Constitutional scholars across the political spectrum, including conservative judges appointed by Trump, consistently ruled the VP's role under the 12th Amendment is purely ceremonial. The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 clarified existing understanding rather than creating new restrictions.

"They put clarifying language in the bill making sure a VP doesn't do what they said could not be done"

Mostly True

The Electoral Count Reform Act (part of the FY2023 omnibus signed Dec 29, 2022) did explicitly clarify the VP's ministerial role. However, this was codification of existing constitutional understanding, not an admission that prior power existed.

Receipts

No contradictions with other posts detected yet.

Psychological Analysis: Christmas Day Electoral Count Act Post (2022-12-25)

Context

Posted on Christmas Day 2022, days after the Jan 6 committee voted to criminally refer Trump to DOJ and released its final report. The Electoral Count Reform Act, clarifying the VP's ceremonial role in certification, was included in the omnibus spending bill moving through Congress.

Authorship Attribution

Authentic Trump (confidence: high). The argumentative structure, ALL CAPS emphasis, scare quotes for delegitimization ("OMINOUS"), and the characteristic "Con Job!" closer are hallmark Trump. No aide would post Jan 6 revisionism on Christmas Day. Posted ~4:30 PM EST from Mar-a-Lago—afternoon timing, but the inflammatory content and reactive quality override scheduling considerations.

Core Psychological Dynamics

The post is a pathological distortion in service of ego-protection. Trump constructs a false syllogism: if Congress needed to pass a law saying the VP can't reject electors, then the VP must have previously had that power—vindicating his pressure on Pence. This ignores that legislatures routinely codify existing constitutional understanding, especially after it has been tested.

This is DARVO in action: the person who attempted to pressure the VP into rejecting certified election results frames himself as the victim of a "Con Job" by the political establishment.

Longitudinal Note

This is one of six posts on Christmas Day 2022, all exhibiting grievance, catastrophizing, or combativeness. The complete absence of holiday sentiment, family acknowledgment, or goodwill messaging is psychologically notable—the subject appears unable to occupy any psychological space outside the grievance-vindication cycle, even during culturally mandated periods of warmth and rest.

Danger Assessment

Elevated. No violent imagery or stochastic terrorism, but the continued legitimization of VP election-overturning power and framing of democratic safeguards as conspiracy maintains a narrative infrastructure that could support future anti-democratic action.

Fact Verification

Claim	Verdict	Evidence
"The Vice President had the power to send Electoral Votes back to State Legislatures for reapproval"	False	Constitutional scholars across the political spectrum, including conservative judges appointed by Trump, consistently ruled the VP's role under the 12th Amendment is purely ceremonial. The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 clarified existing understanding rather than creating new restrictions.
"They put clarifying language in the bill making sure a VP doesn't do what they said could not be done"	Mostly True	The Electoral Count Reform Act (part of the FY2023 omnibus signed Dec 29, 2022) did explicitly clarify the VP's ministerial role. However, this was codification of existing constitutional understanding, not an admission that prior power existed.

Overall Veracity: 40%