# Post ts_115087160158530143

- Post ID: `ts_115087160158530143`
- Platform: Truth Social
- Posted: 2025-08-25T02:58:20.701Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_115087160158530143
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_115087160158530143/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_115087160158530143.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren't paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES. They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at anytime!!! Crooked "journalism" should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!

## Engagement

- Likes: 31,893
- Reposts: 7,980
- Replies: 3,197
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:19:51.298Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-22T03:46:35.349Z (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 represents the second in a same-day escalation sequence targeting ABC and NBC. While the earlier post called for license revocation, this one adds financial punishment demands and culminates in the word "terminated" - a notable escalation in eliminationist framing applied to journalism. The post is driven by narcissistic injury from perceived unfair coverage (quantified in an adjacent post as "97% BAD STORIES"). The psychological architecture reveals a monarchical schema: airwaves are framed as belonging to the ruler, media access as a "privilege" that can be revoked for disloyalty. The factual premises are largely false - the FCC cannot revoke licenses for editorial bias, and the license fee structure described doesn't match regulatory reality. The late-night timing (10:58 PM EDT) and emotional intensity indicate authentic authorship during a period of agitation. The perseverative quality - returning to the identical theme within hours - suggests the perceived media injury is occupying significant psychological space. From a democratic norms perspective, a sitting president threatening broadcast licenses for critical coverage represents a concrete authoritarian pressure vector, elevated above mere rhetoric by the actual power of the executive branch over FCC appointments. The "terminated" language, while directed at "crooked journalism" rather than persons, contributes to an eliminationist rhetorical environment around press institutions.

# Psychological Analysis: License Fee Threat Post (2025-08-25)

## Authorship Attribution
**Likely authentic** (confidence: high). Posted at 10:58 PM EDT, consistent with Trump's established late-night posting pattern. Emotional intensity, ALL CAPS emphasis, triple exclamation marks, and factual looseness all consistent with personal authorship rather than aide-crafted messaging.

## Psychological State & Trigger
This is the second post in a same-day escalation arc targeting ABC and NBC. The trigger is narcissistic injury from negative media coverage - explicitly quantified in an adjacent post as "97% BAD STORIES." The escalation from the earlier post (license revocation) to this one (financial punishment + "terminated") reveals active rumination and intensifying rage.

The framing reveals a monarchical schema: airwaves are a "privilege" granted by authority, and media access is conditional on favorable treatment. This is consistent with Level 2 characteristic adaptations - a power/control motive operating through an entitlement schema.

## Defense Mechanisms
- **Splitting**: Networks are "absolute worst," "most biased anywhere in the World" - totalistic devaluation
- **Projection**: Labels journalism "crooked" while seeking to weaponize state power against critics
- **Acting out**: Direct expression of punitive impulse rather than engagement with substance of coverage

## Rhetorical Analysis
The post employs a rhetorical question opener ("Why is it that...") that frames a false premise as common-sense observation. Key escalation word: **"terminated"** - while ostensibly modifying "journalism," the eliminationist register is significant. The triple exclamation marks (used twice) signal emotional flooding.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "ABC and NBC don't pay millions in license fees" | **Mostly False** | Broadcast networks pay regulatory fees to the FCC. The structure Trump describes - paying millions for 'airwaves' - conflates spectrum auction fees (paid once) with ongoing regulatory fees. Networks do pay fees, just not in the framework he implies. |
| "Networks should lose licenses for unfair coverage" | **False** | The FCC cannot revoke licenses based on editorial content. The Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987. First Amendment protects editorial decisions. |

Overall Veracity: 10%

## Danger Assessment: ELEVATED
A sitting president threatening broadcast licenses for critical coverage, using eliminationist language ("terminated"), during a period of demonstrated agitation. The concrete power of the executive over FCC appointments elevates this beyond mere rhetoric.

## Longitudinal Note
Perseverative fixation - near-identical content posted twice in the same session - suggests this perceived injury is consuming disproportionate cognitive resources. Compare to the broader posting burst this night (multiple high-intensity posts across several targets).

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 90%)

### Indicators

- Late night posting (10:58 PM EDT)
- ALL CAPS emphasis on key phrases
- Stream-of-consciousness style
- Emotional escalation with triple exclamation marks
- Impulsive quality - factual errors about broadcast licensing

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Negative media coverage (97% bad stories claim from adjacent post))

**Rage:** Intensity 75% targeting ABC and NBC networks
- Proportionality: 20%

Sentiment: -0.70

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Late-night posting burst
- Escalating grandiosity across multiple posts
- Pressured quality to rhetoric

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 80%
- Antisocial: 60%
- Paranoid: 50%
- Sadism: 40%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- projection (immature)
- acting out (immature)
- splitting (immature)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 40%

Cognitive Markers:
- tangentiality
- perseveration

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Framing media as enemy of the people
- Positioning self as defender of Republicans/Conservatives

## Danger Assessment

**ELEVATED**

### Indicators

- President threatening broadcast licenses of critical media
- Eliminationist language: journalism 'should be terminated'
- Pattern of escalation across same-day posts
- Using state power (FCC) as punishment for unfavorable coverage

### Gaslighting

- Reframing critical journalism as 'crooked' and illegitimate
- Implying broadcast networks receive undeserved privileges
- False framing of license fee structure

## Fact Checks (2)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-03-22._

> ABC and NBC don't pay millions in license fees

**MOSTLY FALSE**

Broadcast networks pay regulatory fees to the FCC. The structure Trump describes - paying millions for 'airwaves' - conflates spectrum auction fees (paid once) with ongoing regulatory fees. Networks do pay fees, just not in the framework he implies.

Sources: FCC regulatory fee structure; Communications Act of 1934

> Networks should lose licenses for unfair coverage

**FALSE**

The FCC cannot revoke licenses based on editorial content. The Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987. First Amendment protects editorial decisions.

Sources: First Amendment; FCC v. Fox Television Stations (2009)

Overall Veracity: 10%

## Tags

- press_freedom_threat (90%)
- narcissistic_rage (75%)
- authoritarian_impulse (85%)
- perseveration (60%)
- media_attack (90%)

## That day

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

**Evening Rage Spiral Targets Christie, Media Licenses; Day Resets to Presidential Performance Mode**

Trump's day split into two distinct halves. The evening before featured a rapid-fire series of angry posts attacking Chris Christie, a Republican senator, and broadcast networks — including threats to revoke media licenses and reopen a federal investigation as apparent retaliation. A notable calm settled in by morning, with the tone shifting to presidential business: boasting about the Intel deal, commenting on South Korea's political turmoil ahead of a White House summit, and sharing official executive order links. The afternoon was almost entirely staff-managed content. The sharpest moment was calling for journalism to be "terminated," escalating the media grievance into eliminationist language.

Full digest for 2025-08-25: https://trump.fm/date/2025-08-25/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2025, August 25). Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_115087160158530143
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute..." Truth Social, 25 Aug. 2025. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_115087160158530143. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute...," Truth Social, August 25, 2025, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_115087160158530143.

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