# Post ts_111789644112158435 - Post ID: `ts_111789644112158435` - Platform: Truth Social - Posted: 2024-01-20T18:16:38.877Z (UTC) - Deleted: no - Repost: no - Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_111789644112158435 - Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_111789644112158435/analysis - Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_111789644112158435.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording) ## Post text > “IT WAS BRILLIANT WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP DID ON THE BORDER…THE BEST EVER. NOW IT IS THE WORST EVER! THE ONLY THING THAT IS GOING TO BRING THE NUMBERS BACK DOWN IS WHEN THE CARTELS SEE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS COMING BACK. HE IS THE ONLY ONE THEY RESPECT, AND EVEN FEAR.” BRANDON JUDD, Head of Border Patrol ## Engagement - Likes: 12,346 - Reposts: 3,351 - Replies: 524 - Views: unknown - Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.376Z (UTC) # Analysis _Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-21T02:56:36.879Z (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 deploys proxy supply-seeking — Trump amplifies a favorable third-party quote rather than asserting grandiosity directly, a psychologically sophisticated maneuver allowing extreme uniqueness claims ("THE ONLY ONE THEY RESPECT, AND EVEN FEAR") with reduced direct accountability. Delivered three days before the New Hampshire primary and hours before a Manchester rally, it functions as identity-affirmation and voter-confidence signaling rather than response to acute narcissistic injury. The Brandon Judd attribution constitutes mild reality distortion: Judd leads the Border Patrol union, not the agency itself, a distinction suppressed by the "Head of Border Patrol" label. The archetypal register is notably potent — the "HE IS COMING BACK" formulation invokes a quasi-messianic once-and-future-king narrative operating below the threshold of rational political argument. Cognitive markers are consistent with established Trump baseline; no deviation warranting flag. Defense mechanisms include splitting (best/worst dichotomy), self-idealization via proxy, and subtle projection (cartel-fear framing). The post's danger level is elevated not through direct incitement but via normalization of governance-by-intimidation framing — governance by personal dominance rather than institutional process — within a broader daily cluster sustaining anti-immigrant threat narratives. ## Authorship Attribution **Timing:** 18:16 UTC = 13:16 EST. On January 20, 2024, Trump was in New Hampshire preparing for his Manchester rally that evening. Early afternoon business hours lean toward aide-sourcing or aide-assisted curation. However, ALL-CAPS formatting throughout — a persistent Trump stylistic signature — and the recurrent pattern of amplifying third-party praise as a proxy-grandiosity mechanism create genuine ambiguity. The clean quote attribution and the choice of Brandon Judd as a credibility anchor suggest at minimum aide-assisted formatting; the selection logic (amplify favorable voice on border ahead of NH primary) may originate with Trump directly or with Scavino's editorial instincts. **Confidence: medium. Assessment: aide-assisted or aide-sourced, with plausible Trump direction.** --- ## Level 1: Dispositional Traits (Big Five) The post, delivered as proxy quote, reveals high **extraversion** (assertive self-promotion, high-energy formatting), very low **agreeableness** (implicit contempt for Biden administration, binary "worst ever" framing), and low **openness** (rigid dichotomous worldview, no nuance or counterargument acknowledged). The ALL-CAPS emotional register signals elevated **neuroticism** in the angry-hostility facet, though the affect is celebratory rather than directly hostile. **Conscientiousness** is low — hyperbolic superlatives substitute for evidence-based claims throughout. --- ## Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations **Agency motives dominate exclusively.** The operative drives are power, uniqueness, status, and control. This post is not substantively about border policy — it is about *Trump's singular relationship with power*, including the power of transnational criminal organizations. The claim "THE ONLY ONE THEY RESPECT, AND EVEN FEAR" is a pure agency-dominance formulation. Communion motives (intimacy, belonging, care for others) are entirely absent. **Schemas revealed:** - *World:* Dangerous, requiring a singular strong man capable of commanding even criminal fear - *Self:* Uniquely capable sovereign — irreplaceable, operating beyond the competence of ordinary politicians - *Others:* Divided into admirers (Judd, border agents, "real Americans") and failures (Biden administration) --- ## Level 3: Narrative Identity - **Protagonist role:** The returning sovereign/savior — uniquely capable, feared by enemies, respected by those who understand real power - **Contamination sequence:** "BRILLIANT... BEST EVER" (Trump era) → "WORST EVER" (Biden era). A compressed mythological fall narrative - **Redemption sequence (implied):** "WHEN... TRUMP IS COMING BACK" — restoration promised - **Identity claims:** Greatest border president in history; the only leader transnational criminal organizations recognize as legitimate authority - **Contrasting other:** The Biden administration — whose policies are not merely inferior but represent a categorical collapse from peak to nadir The "HE IS COMING BACK" construction is notable — it is a third-person messianic formulation. Trump does not write "I am coming back" but allows Judd (and the post itself) to position him as the awaited restorer, a figure whose return is both prophesied and necessary. --- ## Level 4: Clinical Indicators ### Malignant Narcissism Assessment (Kernberg) **Narcissistic features (high):** The post exemplifies *proxy supply-seeking* — a sophisticated narcissistic maneuver in which extreme grandiosity is delivered through third-party attribution rather than direct self-assertion. This permits grandiosity with reduced accountability while making DSM-5-level uniqueness claims ("THE ONLY ONE"). The cartel-fear framing elevates Trump beyond normal political competence into quasi-mythological territory — a figure whose mere announced return alters the behavior of criminal organizations. Consistent with criterion: "believes he is special and unique." **Antisocial features (low in this post):** Deceit is present structurally (Judd's title is materially inflated — see Fact Checks) but is not the primary driver. **Paranoid features (minimal):** Not salient here. This is a grandiose, not persecuted, post. **Ego-syntonic sadism (minimal):** No cruelty displays directed at individuals in this post. ### Narcissistic Dynamics **Trigger:** Campaign maintenance and supply-seeking. The NH primary is three days away (January 23). The post serves pre-rally identity-amplification and voter-confidence signaling. No acute narcissistic injury is evident — this is aspirational supply, not defensive repair. **Narcissistic state: Grandiose.** Expansive, dominant, superlative-laden. Compare to same-day post attacking Nikki Haley ("Birdbrain") where vulnerability/injury dynamics emerge — the oscillation between grandiose and wounded states is visible across the day's posting cluster. **Rage:** Absent in this post specifically. ### Defense Mechanisms - **Splitting** (immature, Level 2): "BEST EVER" / "WORST EVER" — hard binary with no continuum possible. Reality is organized around absolute poles - **Idealization of self** (immature, Level 2): Via proxy amplification — Trump is constructed as uniquely competent, uniquely feared - **Projection** (immature, Level 2, subtle): The cartel-fear frame may reflect Trump's own use of fear as a governance tool, projected onto the legitimizing context of criminal organizations recognizing his authority ### Archetypal Analysis **Primary archetype: King/Sovereign** — the natural ruler whose presence alone restores order; whose mere announced return realigns even criminal power structures. Secondary: **Warrior** — respected even by adversaries (cartels) who understand force. The "HE IS COMING BACK" formulation invokes the *rex quondam, rexque futurus* (once and future king) mythological template — the legitimate ruler displaced, whose return is awaited by those who suffered in his absence. ### Order/Chaos Dynamics - **Order restorer** positioning: Trump's era = brilliant order; Biden's era = catastrophic chaos - **Asymmetric application:** Order promised to Americans; chaos attributed to weak, cartel-enabling Democratic governance - **Grievance framing:** Border crisis presented as entirely policy-driven (Biden's choice), with implicit grievance that the right leader was removed --- ## Cognitive Status **No notable deviations from established Trump baseline.** ALL-CAPS formatting, exclamation-driven intensity, superlative framing, and binary cognition are all thoroughly documented Trump baseline features. The quote format introduces a less cognitively demanding structure than original composition. No word-finding difficulty, paraphasia, tangentiality, or temporal confusion detected. --- ## Rhetorical Analysis - **Proxy praise** — the central device: third-party attribution allows extreme self-aggrandizement while maintaining journalistic framing - **False authority appeal** — Judd is positioned as "Head of Border Patrol" when he is president of the union, not the agency - **Contrast/false dichotomy frame** — BEST EVER / WORST EVER binary - **Superlatives throughout** — "BRILLIANT," "BEST EVER," "WORST EVER," "ONLY ONE" - **Fear appeal** — cartel threat, border crisis - **Messianic return narrative** — "WHEN... TRUMP IS COMING BACK" - **ALL CAPS as emotional amplification** --- ## Danger Assessment **Elevated.** The cartel-fear framing — positioning Trump as uniquely capable of controlling transnational criminal organizations through personal authority rather than policy or law — contributes to an authoritarian power narrative that normalizes governance-by-intimidation. The fatalism claim that his return is the *only* remedy can motivate extralegal action by supporters who accept the premise. ## Fact Verification | Claim | Verdict | Evidence | |-------|---------|----------| | "Brandon Judd is 'Head of Border Patrol'" | **Mostly False** | Brandon Judd is president of the National Border Patrol Council, a federal labor union representing CBP agents. He is not the operational head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Border Patrol agency itself. The title materially overstates his institutional authority. | | "Border was 'BEST EVER' under Trump" | **Unverifiable** | Subjective evaluative claim with no defined metric. Border encounters were lower during parts of Trump's tenure but BEST EVER is not a measurable standard. | | "Border is now 'WORST EVER' under Biden" | **Half True** | CBP recorded historically high encounter numbers in FY2023 (2.4M+ encounters), representing record highs by the encounters metric. However, worst ever depends on metric used and the framing is hyperbolic. | | "Cartels uniquely respect and fear Trump" | **Unverifiable** | No reliable data exists on cartel leadership psychological orientation toward specific U.S. politicians. The claim is structurally unverifiable. | Overall Veracity: 43% ## Authorship Analysis **Uncertain** (score: 42%) ### Indicators - ALL-CAPS formatting throughout (authentic Trump signature) - Proxy-praise amplification pattern consistent with documented Trump behavior - 13:16 EST timing -- business hours, consistent with aide-sourcing - Clean quote formatting and precise attribution suggest aide curation - Content aligns with pre-rally amplification strategy Scavino is known to orchestrate ## Psychological Profile ### State **Grandiose State** **Trigger:** Supply Seeking (Upcoming New Hampshire primary (January 23) and pre-rally identity amplification) Sentiment: +0.58 **Mildly Hypomanic** - ALL-CAPS formatting throughout conveying elevated arousal state - Superlative clustering in compressed space - Pre-rally post cluster shows elevated output volume across the day - Grandiose ideation at high intensity consistent with mild hypomania baseline ### Clinical **Malignant Narcissism:** - Narcissistic: 78% - Antisocial: 18% - Paranoid: 12% - Sadism: 8% **Defense Mechanisms:** - splitting (immature) - idealization (immature) - projection (immature) **Cognitive Complexity:** - Complexity: 28% **Parasocial Techniques:** - Messianic return narrative positions Trump as the awaited restorer, creating emotional dependency in supporters - Proxy-praise technique allows audience to feel they are receiving expert testimony, not campaign rhetoric - Pre-rally emotional priming sets grandiose frame hours before in-person crowd experience ## Danger Assessment **ELEVATED** ### Indicators - Governance-by-intimidation framing: positions Trump's authority as rooted in personal dominance/fear rather than rule of law - Fatalism about alternatives: 'THE ONLY THING' implies all non-Trump governance is futile, potentially motivating extralegal action - Operates within same-day posting cluster combining with dehumanizing border rhetoric - Cartel-fear framing implicitly legitimizes dominance/fear as appropriate grammar of border governance ## Fact Checks (4) _The model's verdicts from 2026-03-21._ > Brandon Judd is 'Head of Border Patrol' **MOSTLY FALSE** Brandon Judd is president of the National Border Patrol Council, a federal labor union representing CBP agents. He is not the operational head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Border Patrol agency itself. The title materially overstates his institutional authority. Sources: National Border Patrol Council public records; CBP organizational structure > Border was 'BEST EVER' under Trump **UNVERIFIABLE** Subjective evaluative claim with no defined metric. Border encounters were lower during parts of Trump's tenure but BEST EVER is not a measurable standard. > Border is now 'WORST EVER' under Biden **HALF TRUE** CBP recorded historically high encounter numbers in FY2023 (2.4M+ encounters), representing record highs by the encounters metric. However, worst ever depends on metric used and the framing is hyperbolic. Sources: CBP official encounter statistics FY2023 > Cartels uniquely respect and fear Trump **UNVERIFIABLE** No reliable data exists on cartel leadership psychological orientation toward specific U.S. politicians. The claim is structurally unverifiable. Overall Veracity: 43% ## Tags - proxy-praise (92%) - supply-seeking (88%) - messianic-return-narrative (85%) - border-immigration (82%) - false-dichotomy (80%) - title-inflation (75%) - cartel-fear-framing (74%) - campaign-rally-priming (70%) - splitting-defense (72%) - governance-by-intimidation (65%) ## That day _From trump.fm's machine-generated digest of the day, not his words._ **Post-Iowa Victory Lap Collides with Multi-Front Legal Siege on Inauguration Anniversary** Trump spent the day riding high on his Iowa caucus win, campaigning hard across New Hampshire with back-to-back rallies in Concord and Manchester. The morning was a victory lap of all-caps slogans, a fresh Tim Scott endorsement, and gleeful mockery of defeated rivals. But the mood darkened as the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial forced its way into the feed, triggering an intense counterattack that misrepresented her own words and named the presiding judge. He also launched parallel broadsides against the Georgia prosecution, the January 6 committee, and Nikki Haley's electability claims, revealing a campaigner increasingly agitated by legal walls closing in on multiple fronts. Full digest for 2024-01-20: https://trump.fm/date/2024-01-20/analysis ## Citation - APA: Trump, D. J. (2024, January 20). “IT WAS BRILLIANT WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP DID ON THE... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_111789644112158435 - MLA: Trump, Donald J. "“IT WAS BRILLIANT WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP DID ON THE..." Truth Social, 20 Jan. 2024. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_111789644112158435. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026. - Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "“IT WAS BRILLIANT WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP DID ON THE...," Truth Social, January 20, 2024, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_111789644112158435. ## For agents - Site overview: https://trump.fm/llms.txt - API specification: https://trump.fm/openapi.json - MCP server: https://trump.fm/mcp (search and fetch tools, no auth) - This post as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/posts/ts_111789644112158435 - Analysis as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/analysis/ts_111789644112158435 - All citation formats: https://trump.fm/api/cite/ts_111789644112158435 - Same day: https://trump.fm/date/2024-01-20 - The record alone, without the analysis: https://trump.fm/post/ts_111789644112158435.md?analysis=false _Markdown view of a trump.fm page. Post, analysis, date, feed, contradictions, search and about pages answer in markdown at their URL with `.md` appended (`/index.md` for the home page), or when sent `Accept: text/markdown`._