# Post ts_111670557885190630

- Post ID: `ts_111670557885190630`
- Platform: Truth Social
- Posted: 2023-12-30T17:31:27.302Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_111670557885190630
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_111670557885190630/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_111670557885190630.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> 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/

## Engagement

- Likes: 9,523
- Reposts: 3,031
- Replies: 391
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.380Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-24T17:45:46.910Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## 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%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 70%)

### 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:**
- distortion (pathological)
- splitting (immature)
- rationalization (neurotic)

**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

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

## Fact Checks (3)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-03-24._

> 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.

Sources: Howard Stern Show, September 11, 2002; Esquire interview, August 2004

> 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%

## Tags

- foreign_policy (90%)
- retroactive_omniscience (80%)
- iraq_war_revisionism (70%)
- self_aggrandizement (70%)
- breitbart_amplification (50%)

## That day

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

**Legal Siege Turns a Holiday Into a War Room: 37 Posts From Mar-a-Lago Under Compound Threat**

Trump spent the day at Mar-a-Lago responding to a pile-up of legal threats — ballot removals in Maine and Colorado, the ongoing New York fraud trial, and federal prosecution. The mood swung between genuine anger in his own posts and a firehose of flattering links shared by aides. His most notable post turned a New Year's greeting into a lengthy attack on Biden, Democrats, and immigrants, weaving election conspiracy theories into holiday well-wishes. The day's volume was high — 37 posts — but the bulk was staff-curated link dumps rather than personal output. A recurring theme throughout: every institution holding him accountable was reframed as an enemy of democracy.

Full digest for 2023-12-30: https://trump.fm/date/2023-12-30/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2023, December 30). Remember I said, from the beginning, “don’t go... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_111670557885190630
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Remember I said, from the beginning, “don’t go into Iraq,..." Truth Social, 30 Dec. 2023. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_111670557885190630. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Remember I said, from the beginning, “don’t go into Iraq,...," Truth Social, December 30, 2023, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_111670557885190630.

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