Analysis: Remember I said, from the beginning, “don’t go into Iraq, bu...

2y ago Dec 30, 2023 at 5:31 PM

Remember I said, from the beginning, “don’t go into Iraq, but if you do, keep the OIL.” What a BAD decision by Bush. All of those lives, gone, and $Trillions spent, and now Iran controls Iraq, and has the Oil. “Stupid!!!” Iraq used to be the strong counter to Iran, but we obliterated them, and now Iran has everything. What a terrible foreign policy mistake our Country has made. This is just one of them, but possibly the worst! https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/12/29/iraq-works-to-expel-u-s-forces-after-iran-backed-shiite-militia-attacks/

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AI Analysis

Machine-generated analysis of the post above on 2026-03-24. Not written by the author of the post.

Danger Level

None

Narcissistic State

Grandiose

Authorship

Uncertain

Intensity

40%

Authorship Analysis

Uncertain

Indicators:

ALL CAPS emphasis (OIL, BAD)
Triple exclamation in quoted 'Stupid!!!'
Self-referential opening ('Remember I said')
Stream-of-consciousness argument building
Business hours posting (12:31 PM ET) suggests possible aide curation of link

Psychological Profile

▶ State

Grandiose State

Trigger: Supply Seeking (Breitbart article on Iraq expelling US forces)

Sentiment

-0.50

▶ Clinical

Malignant Narcissism:

Narcissistic

60%

Antisocial

20%

Paranoid

10%

Sadism

10%

Defense Mechanisms:

distortionsplittingrationalization

Cognitive Complexity:

Complexity

50%

Cognitive Markers:

perseveration

Parasocial Techniques:

Direct address ('Remember I said')Inclusive national identity ('our Country')Prophetic framing

Danger Assessment

None

Gaslighting Detected:

Revision of personal history — claiming clear pre-war opposition to Iraq that is not supported by the documentary record

Reality Distortions:

Claim of early Iraq War opposition contradicted by 2002 Howard Stern interview

Fact Checks (3)

"Trump said 'from the beginning, don't go into Iraq'"

Mostly False

In a September 2002 Howard Stern interview, Trump said 'Yeah, I guess so' when asked if he supported invading Iraq. His first clear opposition came in August 2004, over a year after the invasion. No pre-war public opposition has been documented.

"Iran controls Iraq and has the Oil"

Half True

Iran has significant political influence in Iraq through Shia militia networks and political parties, but does not 'control' Iraq or its oil. Iraq remains a sovereign state with its own oil industry, though Iranian influence is substantial.

"Iraq used to be the strong counter to Iran"

Mostly True

Pre-2003 Iraq under Saddam Hussein was indeed a regional counterbalance to Iran, as demonstrated by the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). The removal of Saddam did shift regional power dynamics in Iran's favor.

Receipts

No contradictions with other posts detected yet.

Psychological Analysis: Iraq/Iran Foreign Policy Post (2023-12-30)

Context

Trump shares a Breitbart article about Iraq working to expel U.S. forces, using it to relitigate his long-standing "I opposed the Iraq War" narrative. Posted at 12:31 PM ET (Trump at Mar-a-Lago for holidays), this is a midday post during a period of heavy Breitbart-sharing activity.

Authorship

The post reads as likely authentic or lightly polished. Key markers: the retrospective self-quoting ("Remember I said"), emotional punctuation ("Stupid!!!"), ALL CAPS ("OIL," "BAD"), and the rambling quality of building argument across multiple sentences. The Breitbart link-sharing pattern matches the surrounding posts but the editorial commentary is distinctly Trumpian. Business-hours timing suggests possible aide involvement in the link curation, but the voice is Trump's.

Psychological Analysis

This is a classic narcissistic supply maintenance post built on the "I told you so" framework. The core psychological operation is retroactive omniscience — casting himself as the prophet who foresaw disaster. The claim "from the beginning, don't go into Iraq" is a well-documented distortion; Trump's pre-war statements were ambiguous at best.

The post channels narcissistic grandiosity through foreign policy commentary. Bush serves as the devalued other — the fool who didn't listen. The implicit message: "If I had been in charge, none of this would have happened."

Defense mechanisms: Distortion (reshaping his Iraq War record), rationalization (simplistic causal chain from invasion to Iranian dominance), and splitting (Bush = stupid, Trump = prescient).

Rhetorical Techniques

The post employs a classic contamination narrative: America had a good situation (Iraq as counterbalance to Iran), a fool destroyed it (Bush), and now everything is bad. This maps onto the broader MAGA restoration narrative — only Trump can fix what others broke.

The self-quotation device ("Remember I said") functions as prophetic framing, a recurring technique establishing Trump as uniquely wise among political figures.

Fact Verification

Claim	Verdict	Evidence
"Trump said 'from the beginning, don't go into Iraq'"	Mostly False	In a September 2002 Howard Stern interview, Trump said 'Yeah, I guess so' when asked if he supported invading Iraq. His first clear opposition came in August 2004, over a year after the invasion. No pre-war public opposition has been documented.
"Iran controls Iraq and has the Oil"	Half True	Iran has significant political influence in Iraq through Shia militia networks and political parties, but does not 'control' Iraq or its oil. Iraq remains a sovereign state with its own oil industry, though Iranian influence is substantial.
"Iraq used to be the strong counter to Iran"	Mostly True	Pre-2003 Iraq under Saddam Hussein was indeed a regional counterbalance to Iran, as demonstrated by the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). The removal of Saddam did shift regional power dynamics in Iran's favor.

Overall Veracity: 50%