# Post ts_109761187867382574

- Post ID: `ts_109761187867382574`
- Platform: Truth Social
- Posted: 2023-01-27T12:33:32.920Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_109761187867382574
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_109761187867382574/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_109761187867382574.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> I found John Bolton to be one of the dumbest people in Government but, I am proud to say, I used him well. A total & unhinged WARMONGER, the red faced “boiler ready to explode” was one of those very stupid voices that got us into the Middle East quicksand. Seven Trillion Dollars, & Millions of deaths later, NOTHING! The good news is that I won big negotiations with this moron by my side. When I brought him into a room with hostile foreign leaders, they thought I was going to war, CONCEEDED ALL!

## Engagement

- Likes: 26,437
- Reposts: 6,999
- Replies: 1,555
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.422Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-20T01:57:21.935Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## Summary

This post exemplifies Trump's characteristic splitting defense: John Bolton is simultaneously "one of the dumbest people in Government" and a strategically deployed asset whose mere presence caused adversaries to concede. The logical contradiction — that a "moron" could serve as an effective intimidation tool — reveals the grandiose fantasy of omnipotent control over others, a hallmark of narcissistic personality organization. The sustained devaluation (five distinct insults across one post) combined with self-idealization ("I won big negotiations," "I used him well") demonstrates the idealization/devaluation cycle operating in textbook fashion. The post's narrative structure — incompetent other causes catastrophe, but genius protagonist extracts value anyway — is a recurring Trump template that transforms potential criticism (poor hiring judgment) into evidence of strategic mastery. Sadistic pleasure in humiliation is evident in the vivid physical description ("red faced boiler ready to explode") and the public labeling as "moron." The misspelling "CONCEEDED" and early-morning timing support authentic authorship.

## Psychological Analysis: Trump on John Bolton (2023-01-27)

### Overview
This post is a characteristic extended attack on former National Security Advisor John Bolton, combining devaluation of Bolton with grandiose self-aggrandizement. The post follows a clear narcissistic pattern: devalue the other while elevating the self.

### Authorship
Posted at 12:33 UTC = 7:33 AM EST. Trump was likely at Mar-a-Lago in late January 2023. The post has hallmark authentic Trump features: stream-of-consciousness structure, vivid personal insults ("red faced boiler ready to explode"), misspelling ("CONCEEDED" for "conceded"), and emotional intensity. High confidence this is authentic.

### Psychological Dynamics
The post exhibits classic **splitting**: Bolton is "one of the dumbest people in Government," a "moron," yet Trump claims credit for strategically deploying him. This creates a paradox — using a supposed idiot as a negotiation prop — that reveals the grandiose fantasy of omnipotent control over others.

The trigger appears to be **maintenance/supply-seeking** rather than a specific injury. Bolton had been publicly critical of Trump, and periodic devaluation serves to reinforce the narrative of Trump's superiority.

### Rhetorical Structure
The post follows a contamination-then-redemption arc: Bolton caused disaster (Middle East, trillions wasted) → but Trump turned this liability into an asset ("won big negotiations"). This reframes a chaotic personnel choice as 4D chess.

### Cognitive Note
"CONCEEDED" is a notable misspelling. The claim about "Seven Trillion Dollars & Millions of deaths" is characteristic hyperbole. The logical incoherence (Bolton is useless but also a useful prop) is typical baseline Trump rhetoric rather than cognitive decline.

### Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Seven Trillion Dollars spent in Middle East" | **Mostly True** | Brown University Costs of War project estimated ~$8 trillion including future obligations through 2021. The figure is in a credible range depending on methodology. |
| "Millions of deaths in Middle East wars" | **Half True** | Direct deaths from post-9/11 wars estimated at 900,000+ (Brown). Including indirect deaths raises estimates significantly but 'millions' is at the upper bound of credible estimates. |
| "Foreign leaders 'CONCEEDED ALL' when Bolton was in the room" | **Mostly False** | No documented negotiation produced total concessions from adversaries due to Bolton's presence. Trump's negotiations with North Korea, for example, produced no lasting agreement. |

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 95%)

### Indicators

- Misspelling 'CONCEEDED'
- Vivid personal insults and physical descriptions
- Stream-of-consciousness structure
- 7:33 AM local time consistent with early morning posting habit
- Emotional intensity and ALL CAPS passages

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Maintenance (Bolton as recurring foil)

**Rage:** Intensity 50% targeting John Bolton
- Proportionality: 30%

Sentiment: -0.60

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Grandiose self-assessment
- Rapid-fire insult generation
- Elevated self-confidence in narrative

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 85%
- Antisocial: 30%
- Paranoid: 15%
- Sadism: 50%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- splitting (immature)
- idealization (immature)
- devaluation (immature)
- projection (immature)

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

Cognitive Markers:
- perseveration

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Sharing insider 'behind the scenes' narrative to create intimacy
- Positioning audience as co-beneficiaries of his genius

## Fact Checks (3)

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

> Seven Trillion Dollars spent in Middle East

**MOSTLY TRUE**

Brown University Costs of War project estimated ~$8 trillion including future obligations through 2021. The figure is in a credible range depending on methodology.

Sources: Brown University Costs of War Project

> Millions of deaths in Middle East wars

**HALF TRUE**

Direct deaths from post-9/11 wars estimated at 900,000+ (Brown). Including indirect deaths raises estimates significantly but 'millions' is at the upper bound of credible estimates.

Sources: Brown University Costs of War Project

> Foreign leaders 'CONCEEDED ALL' when Bolton was in the room

**MOSTLY FALSE**

No documented negotiation produced total concessions from adversaries due to Bolton's presence. Trump's negotiations with North Korea, for example, produced no lasting agreement.

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Tags

- bolton-devaluation (90%)
- grandiose-self-narrative (85%)
- middle-east-policy (50%)
- negotiation-genius-claim (80%)

## That day

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

**Grandiose Peacemaker Fantasy Gives Way to "Gestapo" Tirade and Fox News Betrayal Narrative**

Trump spent the day oscillating between grandiose self-promotion and targeted attacks on perceived enemies. The morning opened with a burst of high-intensity posts, including a volatile tirade labeling federal law enforcement as "Gestapo" and warning that "patriots" won't tolerate the status quo much longer. Media figures bore the brunt -- Fox News was attacked twice, once over a specific panelist's voice and again for allegedly conspiring with Republican rivals against him. The Tyre Nichols video release, arguably the biggest news story of the day, went unacknowledged except through oblique calls to "stop the Atlanta riots" with no mention of their cause. The overall tone was combative grandiosity punctuated by flashes of genuine agitation.

Full digest for 2023-01-27: https://trump.fm/date/2023-01-27/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2023, January 27). I found John Bolton to be one of the dumbest... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_109761187867382574
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "I found John Bolton to be one of the dumbest people in..." Truth Social, 27 Jan. 2023. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_109761187867382574. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "I found John Bolton to be one of the dumbest people in...," Truth Social, January 27, 2023, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_109761187867382574.

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