# Post ts_112458728251095865 - Post ID: `ts_112458728251095865` - Platform: Truth Social - Posted: 2024-05-17T22:13:32.665Z (UTC) - Deleted: no - Repost: no - Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_112458728251095865 - Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_112458728251095865/analysis - Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_112458728251095865.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording) ## Post text > Gregg Jarrett: "Weaponization of the law or 'lawfare,' by any means, is now justified. It's the popular currency among Biden Democrats. Abiding by the rule of law is a mere inconvenience, a pesky nuisance. It can be discarded like yesterday's trash." ## Engagement - Likes: 9,695 - Reposts: 2,405 - Replies: 207 - Views: unknown - Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.356Z (UTC) # Analysis _Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-21T08:31:03.845Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._ ## Summary Posted at the height of the Cohen testimony in the Manhattan hush money trial, this post represents a vulnerable-narcissistic counter-narrative deployment. The subject (or an aide under directive) isolated the most normatively significant excerpt from a Gregg Jarrett commentary — one explicitly framing extralegal retaliation as 'justified by any means' — and amplified it to his audience. The post deploys simultaneous projection, denial, and DARVO: casting the defendant as law's defender while the prosecution upholds documented legal standards. The 'by any means, is now justified' framing seeds a permission structure for extralegal response while maintaining rhetorical deniability via proxy attribution. Authorship is most likely aide-mediated (5:13 PM CDT on a travel day), but the content selection strategy — isolating this specific excerpt from a longer companion Jarrett piece posted the same day — reflects coherent strategic amplification. Epistemic closure demand is present: followers must accept the 'lawfare' narrative to remain in-group. Danger level is elevated due to the 'any means justified' normalization language in a high-grievance, high-stakes context. Stochastic terrorism threshold not reached (no individual targets, no explicit action pathway). No original Trump prose available for cognitive or linguistic analysis. # Analysis: ts_112458728251095865 — May 17, 2024 ## Contextual Frame This post appears during an acutely threatening period for the subject: Michael Cohen, Trump's former fixer, is testifying as the prosecution's star witness in the Manhattan hush money trial, directly implicating Trump in orchestrating the Stormy Daniels payment scheme. The post is a curated share of a single inflammatory excerpt from Gregg Jarrett, a Fox News legal analyst and reliable sympathetic media proxy. **Critical note:** The post contains *no original language from Trump*. It is entirely Jarrett's prose. This limits direct cognitive and linguistic analysis of the subject, but the *selection and curation* of the excerpt—particularly the most incendiary fragment from a longer Jarrett piece (posted separately the same day)—is itself analytically significant. --- ## Authorship Attribution **Local time conversion:** The RSB Network link in the prior post references Trump keynoting the Minnesota GOP Annual Dinner on May 17. Trump was therefore in Minnesota (CDT, UTC−5). Post time 22:13 UTC = **5:13 PM CDT**—mid-to-late afternoon on an active travel/event day. **Assessment:** This falls squarely in business hours for his local timezone. The post is a clean, error-free quote share with no original commentary, characteristic of **aide-mediated posting** (likely Scavino operation). However, the content selection—isolating the single most inflammatory excerpt from the Jarrett piece—may reflect Trump's directive or approval. The subject had already posted a longer Jarrett excerpt earlier the same day; this second, shorter post isolating *only* the "lawfare... by any means... discarded like yesterday's trash" passage suggests curated amplification of the most legally dangerous framing. **Confidence:** Medium. The timing and format point to aide execution; the content selection strategy is consistent with the subject's known media curation behavior. --- ## Trigger Analysis The Michael Cohen testimony is the unmistakable trigger. Cohen's direct implication of Trump—testifying that Trump directed the hush money payment and promised reimbursement—constitutes a severe narcissistic injury: public exposure as a liar and criminal schemer, delivered through the vehicle of his own former loyalist-turned-betrayer. The posting pattern (multiple trial-adjacent media shares across the day) reflects active grievance processing and counter-narrative construction. **Trigger type:** Narcissistic injury via exposure — the most destabilizing variant, particularly because it comes from Cohen, whose betrayal compounds the wound. --- ## Level 1: Dispositional Traits (Big Five) The *selected* content projects: - **Low Agreeableness**: adversarial framing, contemptuous language ("pesky nuisance," "discarded like yesterday's trash") - **High Neuroticism**: hostility, reactive grievance orientation - **Low Conscientiousness** (paradoxically inverted): the quote accuses opponents of disregarding law while the subject himself is on trial for falsifying business records - No Openness markers; rigid us/them schema throughout --- ## Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations — Goals and Motives **Dominant motive: Power/Agency.** The post frames ongoing legal proceedings as illegitimate power seizure by enemies, repositioning the subject from defendant (low agency) to persecuted figure resisting tyranny (high agency). This reframing is psychologically essential to narcissistic regulation under threat. **Schema revealed:** The world is divided between those who play by rules (supporters) and those who weaponize rules as political instruments (opponents). The legal system is not a neutral arbiter but a tool of factional warfare. This schema preemptively delegitimizes any adverse verdict. --- ## Level 3: Narrative Identity **Protagonist role:** Martyr-warrior — the wrongfully persecuted fighter whose enemies have abandoned principle in their quest to destroy him. **Contamination sequence:** "In the Age of Trump, decency is eclipsed..." (from the companion post) frames the present as a corruption of proper order—good governance contaminated by political enemies weaponizing justice. **Redemption arc (implicit):** The subject's ongoing rallies and political campaign function as the counter-narrative: despite persecution, the movement endures. **Identity claims (via proxy):** *I am the victim of unprecedented lawfare; my enemies have abandoned the rule of law.* **Contrasting other:** "Biden Democrats" — monolithic, unprincipled, rule-breaking political actors. --- ## Level 4: Clinical Indicators ### Malignant Narcissism Components **A. Narcissistic Features:** - Grandiosity (implicit): the entire legal system is being perverted specifically to stop *him* - Entitlement: law should not apply to him; its application is inherently illegitimate - Lack of empathy for legal norms, institutions, or victims (Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal) **B. Antisocial Features:** - The selected excerpt explicitly frames law-breaking as *justified*: "by any means, is now justified" — this is a remarkable statement to amplify and endorse through selection - Contempt for legal process is ego-syntonic and publicly displayed **C. Paranoid Features:** - "Weaponization" framing projects coordinated hostile intent onto prosecutors - "Biden Democrats" as organized persecutory collective **D. Sadism:** Not prominent in this post; the affect is more wounded than triumphant. ### Narcissistic State: Predominantly **Vulnerable** The subject is in a defensive crouch. Unlike grandiose posts asserting dominance and achievement, this post is reactive, grievance-centered, and victim-positioned. The use of a proxy voice rather than direct assertion further suggests inhibition—the subject may be legally constrained from direct commentary, or the aide-mediated format reflects managed messaging during trial. ### Defense Mechanisms 1. **Projection (Immature):** Accusing opponents of abandoning rule of law while the subject is being prosecuted for falsifying business records. His own legal/ethical transgressions are attributed wholesale to the opposition. 2. **Denial (Pathological):** The prosecution is reframed as "lawfare" — a complete refusal to accept the legitimacy of the legal process, regardless of evidence. 3. **Rationalization (Neurotic):** Using Jarrett's commentary provides intellectual scaffolding: *this is not just my grievance, it is a principled legal analysis.* 4. **Distortion:** The characterization that "Biden Democrats" are discarding the rule of law is a gross reshaping of reality — the prosecution is a New York state case led by a locally elected DA, not a Biden administration operation. --- ## Cognitive Status Markers **Limitation:** This post contains no original Trump language. Cognitive analysis cannot be applied to Jarrett's prose as if it were the subject's own production. **Observable from post selection behavior only:** The isolation of the *"by any means, is now justified"* phrase from the longer companion piece suggests purposeful extraction of the most normatively significant claim — either by the subject or an aide who understands what message to amplify. This is strategically coherent. **Complexity score:** N/A for direct linguistic analysis; deferred to posts with original prose. --- ## Rhetorical & Propaganda Techniques The Jarrett excerpt, as selected and amplified, deploys: 1. **Delegitimization framing:** "Lawfare" — a term that pre-emptively reframes legal process as warfare, removing its moral authority 2. **False dichotomy:** Rule of law defenders (Trump/MAGA) vs. law-weaponizers (Biden Democrats) 3. **Dehumanizing metaphor:** "Discarded like yesterday's trash" — applied to rule of law, positions opponents as contemptuous of civilization itself 4. **Appeal to principle (inverted):** The subject—currently on trial for falsifying records—positions himself as the defender of legal norms 5. **Proxy ventriloquism:** Using Jarrett's authoritative-sounding legal framing as a laundering mechanism for grievances that would appear self-serving if stated directly 6. **RAND Firehose (volume component):** Multiple companion posts the same day (Jarrett long quote, McCarthy quote, RSB Network link) flood the information environment with trial counter-narrative --- ## Gaslighting & Reality Distortion **Present. Severity: Moderate-High.** - The trial is framed as pure political persecution ("lawfare"), requiring followers to deny the documented evidentiary basis of the prosecution (Cohen's testimony, payment records, Pecker's AMI testimony) - "Biden Democrats" implies federal executive direction of a New York state case — a documented falsehood presented as self-evident - The phrase "abiding by the rule of law is a mere inconvenience" is projected onto prosecutors, while the underlying conduct being prosecuted (falsifying business records, hush money scheme) involves the subject treating legal and financial rules as inconveniences - **DARVO structure:** Deny the legitimacy of charges → Attack prosecutors as political actors → Reverse victim/offender (Trump as victim of legal persecution, not perpetrator of falsification) **Epistemic closure demand:** Followers must accept the "lawfare" framing to remain in good standing with the movement. The companion posts (McCarthy, Jarrett long-form) collectively construct an alternative legal reality. --- ## Danger Assessment **Elevated.** The phrase "by any means, is now justified" is the critical marker. In context, Jarrett means political and legal countermeasures. However, amplified to a large audience during a high-grievance moment (Cohen testimony, ongoing trial), this framing: 1. Normalizes extralegal response to perceived legal persecution 2. Positions future law-breaking as principled resistance 3. Does not explicitly target individuals, but establishes a permission structure for "any means" retaliation against perceived legal enemies This does not rise to the *stochastic terrorism* threshold (no individual targets identified, no specific grievance → action pathway), but the "by any means justified" normalization language in a high-intensity grievance context is **not trivial**. It represents the rhetorical infrastructure that, in aggregation, lowers inhibitions for hostile action. --- ## Fact Verification | Claim | Verdict | Evidence | |-------|---------|----------| | "The prosecution constitutes 'weaponization of the law' / 'lawfare'" | **Mostly False** | Prosecution is brought by locally elected Manhattan DA under NY state law. Multiple courts declined dismissal. Evidentiary record includes documented payments, business record falsifications, corroborating testimony. No documented Biden White House coordination with NY state case. | | "'Biden Democrats' are responsible for/directing the prosecution" | **False** | DA Alvin Bragg is a Democrat elected to NY County DA office. The Biden DOJ has no supervisory authority over NY state prosecutions. No documented coordination between Biden campaign/White House and Bragg's office. | | "Bragg cannot prove criminal intent beyond reasonable doubt (McCarthy companion post)" | **False** | McCarthy's opinion at time of posting was retrospectively refuted: jury returned guilty verdicts on all 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30, 2024. | Overall Veracity: 7% ## Summary Posted during the Cohen testimony phase of the Manhattan hush money trial, this post represents a textbook vulnerable-narcissistic response to acute legal exposure. The subject (or an aide acting on directive) selected the single most normatively significant excerpt from a Gregg Jarrett commentary piece—one explicitly framing extralegal retaliation as "justified"—and amplified it to his audience. The post deploys projection, denial, and DARVO simultaneously, casting the defendant as law's defender while the prosecution upholds it. The "by any means, is now justified" framing is analytically significant: it seeds a permission structure for extralegal response while maintaining rhetorical deniability (the subject is quoting a commentator, not speaking directly). Authorship is most likely aide-mediated (5:13 PM CDT during a travel/event day), but content selection strategy is consistent with the subject's known media amplification behavior. Danger level is elevated due to the "any means justified" normalization in a high-grievance context, though stochastic terrorism threshold is not reached. No original Trump prose is available for cognitive analysis. ## Authorship Analysis **Aide-Written** (score: 30%) ### Indicators - Post time 5:13 PM CDT — business hours during active travel/event day (Minnesota GOP dinner) - No original Trump prose; pure quote share with no caption or reaction text - Clean formatting, no typos (though quote content limits this indicator) - Companion posts same day also formatted as clean media/quote shares consistent with aide operation - Content selection of most inflammatory excerpt may reflect subject's directive even if aide-executed ## Psychological Profile ### State **Vulnerable State** **Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Michael Cohen testimony directly implicating Trump in hush money scheme as prosecution's star witness) **Rage:** Intensity 55% targeting Prosecution, DA Alvin Bragg, 'Biden Democrats,' Michael Cohen (implicit) - Proportionality: 30% Sentiment: -0.72 ### Clinical **Malignant Narcissism:** - Narcissistic: 78% - Antisocial: 55% - Paranoid: 72% - Sadism: 15% **Defense Mechanisms:** - projection (immature) - denial (pathological) - rationalization (neurotic) - distortion (pathological) **Cognitive Complexity:** - Complexity: 0% **Parasocial Techniques:** - Proxy ventriloquism via sympathetic commentator - Shared grievance construction — positioning audience as fellow victims of 'lawfare' - Epistemic closure demand: followers must accept 'lawfare' framing as in-group membership test ## Danger Assessment **ELEVATED** ### Indicators - 'By any means, is now justified' — explicit normalization of extralegal response to perceived legal persecution - High-grievance context (Cohen testimony as acute narcissistic injury) amplifies permission-structure framing - Repeated cross-day amplification of 'lawfare' narrative lowers inhibitions for hostile action by followers - Positioning of legal process itself as illegitimate removes moral brake on retaliation ### Gaslighting - Prosecution framed as 'lawfare' — denies documented evidentiary basis (Cohen testimony, payment records, AMI testimony) - 'Biden Democrats' claim implies White House coordination with NY state prosecution — documented falsehood - DARVO structure: Deny charges → Attack prosecutors as political actors → Reverse victim/offender (Trump as persecuted, not perpetrator) - Epistemic closure: followers required to accept 'lawfare' framing to remain in-group ## Fact Checks (3) _The model's verdicts from 2026-03-21._ > The prosecution constitutes 'weaponization of the law' / 'lawfare' **MOSTLY FALSE** Prosecution is brought by locally elected Manhattan DA under NY state law. Multiple courts declined dismissal. Evidentiary record includes documented payments, business record falsifications, corroborating testimony. No documented Biden White House coordination with NY state case. Sources: Trial record; Court filings; Jury verdict (34 counts guilty, May 30 2024) > 'Biden Democrats' are responsible for/directing the prosecution **FALSE** DA Alvin Bragg is a Democrat elected to NY County DA office. The Biden DOJ has no supervisory authority over NY state prosecutions. No documented coordination between Biden campaign/White House and Bragg's office. Sources: NY County DA office jurisdiction; Federal/state prosecutorial independence > Bragg cannot prove criminal intent beyond reasonable doubt (McCarthy companion post) **FALSE** McCarthy's opinion at time of posting was retrospectively refuted: jury returned guilty verdicts on all 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30, 2024. Sources: Trial verdict, May 30 2024 Overall Veracity: 7% ## Tags - lawfare (95%) - vulnerable-narcissism (88%) - proxy-messaging (90%) - trial-counter-narrative (92%) - projection (85%) - reality-distortion (80%) - aide-authored (70%) - epistemic-closure (78%) - DARVO (82%) - by-any-means-justified (75%) ## That day _From trump.fm's machine-generated digest of the day, not his words._ **Cohen Testifies; Trump Responds With 15-Post Quote Barrage and Fantasies of Case Dismissal** Trump spent the day almost entirely focused on his Manhattan criminal trial, where Michael Cohen testified as the prosecution's star witness and directly implicated him in directing the hush money payment. The response was a coordinated flood of favorable legal commentary from conservative pundits — 15 quote-relay posts in under five minutes during the evening — followed by a late-night post predicting (incorrectly) that the DA would drop the case. A brief, warm mention of attending Barron's high school graduation was the day's only departure from trial fixation, and campaign-mode posts about debate acceptances occupied the afternoon before the evening brought another wave of trial commentary. The mood was predominantly defensive, occasionally angry, and punctuated by bursts of unearned confidence. Full digest for 2024-05-17: https://trump.fm/date/2024-05-17/analysis ## Citation - APA: Trump, D. J. (2024, May 17). Gregg Jarrett: "Weaponization of the law or... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_112458728251095865 - MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Gregg Jarrett: "Weaponization of the law or 'lawfare,' by..." Truth Social, 17 May. 2024. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_112458728251095865. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026. - Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Gregg Jarrett: "Weaponization of the law or 'lawfare,' by...," Truth Social, May 17, 2024, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_112458728251095865. ## 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_112458728251095865 - Analysis as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/analysis/ts_112458728251095865 - All citation formats: https://trump.fm/api/cite/ts_112458728251095865 - Same day: https://trump.fm/date/2024-05-17 - The record alone, without the analysis: https://trump.fm/post/ts_112458728251095865.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`._