# Post ts_116565310767957780

- Post ID: `ts_116565310767957780`
- Platform: Truth Social
- Posted: 2026-05-13T04:11:29.014Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/ts_116565310767957780
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/ts_116565310767957780/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/ts_116565310767957780.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The guy that came up to Mitch McConnell today when McConnell thought the hearing was over, and started speaking in his ear for Mitch to belatedly introduce some other people, all Democrats and, by doing so, made Mitch look foolish and completely out of it, should be immediately fired! This was a case where Mitch wasn’t confused, he just didn’t understand why he was being asked to do something when it was too late, and people were wrapping up to leave — They wanted to go home. His name is Robert Karem, he is a Never Trumper, and was grandstanding — trying to show how “important” he was! Karem has tremendous Democrat support, far greater than he should have, and is praised relentlessly by Obama’s people. He is probably the reason why Mitch McConnell is stupidly opposed to terminating the Filibuster, and refuses to help with a 97% issue, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT. FIRE THE BUM! President DONALD J. TRUMP

## Media

- image: https://static-assets-1.truthsocial.com/tmtg:prime-ts-assets/media_attachments/files/116/565/309/197/379/244/original/7ad5db7a190f8962.jpg

## Engagement

- Likes: 26,405
- Reposts: 8,418
- Replies: 3,192
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-05-16T04:01:12.208Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-05-13T05:20:33.000Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## Summary

A late-night, authentic-Trump post triggered by a televised hearing moment in which a McConnell aide whispered an instruction that made the senator appear briefly disoriented. Trump's response is psychologically revealing on two levels: he defends McConnell's cognition in language ('wasn't confused, he just didn't understand') that functions as projective rationalization for his own age-related vulnerabilities, then displaces aggression onto a subordinate target (the aide, Robert Karem) who can be safely demonized via 'Never Trumper / Obama's people' framing. The post executes a classic personalization-of-structural-disagreement maneuver: McConnell's decades-long institutional defense of the filibuster is reattributed to manipulation by a single staffer, transforming policy conflict into conspiracy and demanding public termination as the remedy. Defenses are predominantly immature (projection, splitting) layered with neurotic rationalization. Narcissistic state is grandiose with paranoid coloring; rage is present, disproportionate to the trigger, and aimed at a named, relatively low-profile individual. Danger level is elevated rather than critical—no eliminationist or violent imagery, but public targeting of a specific staffer to a mass audience reliably generates harassment. Cognitive markers remain within authentic-late-night baseline: tangled syntax, content coherent. The instrumental endpoint of the post—pressuring McConnell on the filibuster via destroying his staff—is consistent with Trump's longstanding pattern of coercing institutional actors through proxies.

## Analysis

**Authorship:** Almost certainly authentic Trump. Posted at ~12:11 AM Eastern, the post bears virtually every stylistic fingerprint: idiosyncratic capitalization, stream-of-consciousness run-on syntax, em-dash interruptions, scare quotes, ALL CAPS imperative, and the signature 'President DONALD J. TRUMP' close. Aide-written posts do not demand named-and-shamed firings of mid-level Senate staffers at midnight.

**Trigger & Dynamics:** The proximate trigger is a televised hearing moment in which an aide whispered to Senator McConnell at the close of proceedings, producing an awkward optic. The injury type is *exposure*—but interestingly, Trump's own. He defends McConnell's cognition ('Mitch wasn't confused, he just didn't understand…') in language that functions as autobiographical rationalization. McConnell, also octogenarian, is a mirror; the rapid defense suggests projective identification with the cognitively-questioned elder statesman.

**Mechanism:** The post executes a displacement maneuver—genuine frustration with McConnell's filibuster stance is redirected onto a subordinate target (the aide), who is safer to attack and easier to demonize via the 'Never Trumper / Obama's people' frame.

**Archetype:** Tyrant-King issuing a public termination decree; the grievance-articulation pattern is consistent with stochastic targeting of a named individual, though without explicit violent imagery.

**Danger:** Elevated—naming a specific staffer to a large audience invites harassment, even absent explicit incitement.

**Cognitive markers:** Syntax is tangled but content-coherent; no notable paraphasic or word-finding errors. Within baseline for late-night authentic posts.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Robert Karem is a 'Never Trumper'" | **Mostly False** | Robert Karem's documented record contradicts the 'Never Trumper' label. According to Wikipedia and contemporaneous news sources, Karem served on Trump's 2016 transition team as an adviser to CIA Director Mike Pompeo during Pompeo's confirmation process. President Trump himself nominated Karem on April 25, 2017 to become Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and Karem was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on May 25, 2017. He served in the Trump administration in that role from June 2017 to October 2018, before joining McConnell's office as National Security Advisor. Karem is a registered Republican who has worked exclusively for Republican officials throughout his career, including Vice President Dick Cheney (2005-2009), House leaders Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy, and Senator McConnell. No public statements, news coverage, or credible profile characterizes Karem as a 'Never Trumper.' The Defense News and Daily Caller coverage of his 2017 nomination noted he had previously worked as a foreign policy adviser to Jeb Bush during the 2016 primary, but he subsequently served Trump in a Senate-confirmed role — the opposite of a Never Trumper posture, which typically refers to Republicans who refused to support Trump's nomination or administration. |
| "The SAVE AMERICA ACT is a '97% issue'" | **Unverifiable** | No publicly sourced polling supports a 97% approval figure for any specific 'Save America Act'; Trump frequently cites unsourced supermajority statistics. |
| "Karem 'is praised relentlessly by Obama's people'" | **Half True** | There is documented praise from Obama-era officials for Karem, but characterizing it as 'relentless' substantially overstates a discrete cluster of complimentary statements at the time of his 2017 Pentagon nomination. The most prominent example: Derek Chollet, who held the same Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs position under Obama (2012-2015), tweeted: 'Not often I say this, but terrific news from Trump Admin: Robert Karem nomn'd for Asst SecDef ISA. He's smart, savvy, & skilled. Great pick!' Chollet's framing ('Not often I say this') explicitly highlights that praising Trump nominees was unusual for him — making this a one-off endorsement rather than ongoing flattery. Additionally, Loren Dejonge Schulman, a former Defense Department and National Security Council staffer under Obama then at the Center for a New American Security, called Karem and his co-nominee 'excellent picks.' Defense News reported his nomination 'drew praise from an unexpected sector — a group of former Obama-era defense officials.' However, this praise was limited to (1) his 2017 confirmation moment and (2) general professional respect for his bipartisan-perceived national-security expertise; there is no evidence of a sustained or 'relentless' pattern of Obama-world praise spanning years. Two cited compliments at one nomination moment do not equate to 'relentless' praise from 'Obama's people.' |
| "Karem is the reason McConnell opposes ending the filibuster" | **Mostly False** | McConnell has been an outspoken, longtime institutional defender of the legislative filibuster for decades, well predating any staff relationship with Karem; attributing his position to a single aide is not supported by his public record. |

Overall Veracity: 35%

## Receipts (1)

### major — other (2 months earlier)

> "The SAVE AMERICA ACT is a '97% issue'"

**vs.**

> "The Save America Act is an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS"

Both claims make a specific numerical assertion about voter support for the Save America Act, but cite directly conflicting figures: the source (2026-05-13) says it is a '97% issue,' while this candidate (2026-03-08) says it is an '88% issue with ALL VOTERS.' These are the same metric — the share of voters who supposedly support the Act — stated about the same legislation just ~2 months apart, with a 9-percentage-point discrepancy. No acknowledged change in circumstances explains the shift, making this a clear factual contradiction.

[View contradicting post →](/post/ts_116193527873859174)

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 95%)

### Indicators

- Late-night posting (~12:11 AM ET)
- Stream-of-consciousness run-on sentence structure
- Idiosyncratic capitalization ('Never Trumper', 'Democrat support', 'THE SAVE AMERICA ACT')
- Scare quotes around 'important'
- Personal grievance fixation on a specific staffer

## Psychological Profile

### Traits

**Big Five:**
- Extraversion: 75%
- Agreeableness: 5%
- Conscientiousness: 20%
- Neuroticism: 80%
- Openness: 25%

Strongest facet: angry hostility

**Motives:**
- Agency: 90%
- Communion: 10%

Primary drive: power

### Narrative

- **Role:** Avenging executive issuing public termination
- **Arc:** contamination
- **Contrasting:** Robert Karem, 'Never Trumpers,' 'Obama's people'

**Identity Claims:**
- President DONALD J. TRUMP (formal self-designation)
- Arbiter of who deserves to be fired
- Defender of a beleaguered ally (McConnell, situationally)

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Televised hearing moment in which McConnell appeared 'foolish'; possibly a comparison threat given Trump's own age-related concerns)

**Rage:** Intensity 65% targeting Robert Karem (McConnell aide)
- Proportionality: 20%

Sentiment: -0.70

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Late-night posting
- Imperative ALL CAPS closer
- Escalation from procedural moment to staffer termination demand

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 70%
- Antisocial: 60%
- Paranoid: 75%
- Sadism: 55%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- projection (immature)
- splitting (immature)
- displacement (neurotic)
- rationalization (neurotic)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 45%

Cognitive Markers:
- circumstantiality

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Naming a specific low-profile official to mobilize followers against him
- Demanding firing as audience-engaged spectacle ('FIRE THE BUM!')

## Danger Assessment

**ELEVATED**

### Indicators

- Public targeting of a named individual staffer
- Demand for immediate firing of a specific person
- Framing target as politically disloyal infiltrator
- Potential to provoke follower harassment

### Gaslighting

- Confidently asserting McConnell's internal mental state ('wasn't confused, just didn't understand')
- Substituting a personalized villain narrative for a well-documented policy stance

## Fact Checks (4)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-05-13; a recheck of the unverifiable ones last ran 2026-05-13._

> Robert Karem is a 'Never Trumper'

**MOSTLY FALSE**

Robert Karem's documented record contradicts the 'Never Trumper' label. According to Wikipedia and contemporaneous news sources, Karem served on Trump's 2016 transition team as an adviser to CIA Director Mike Pompeo during Pompeo's confirmation process. President Trump himself nominated Karem on April 25, 2017 to become Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and Karem was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on May 25, 2017. He served in the Trump administration in that role from June 2017 to October 2018, before joining McConnell's office as National Security Advisor. Karem is a registered Republican who has worked exclusively for Republican officials throughout his career, including Vice President Dick Cheney (2005-2009), House leaders Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy, and Senator McConnell. No public statements, news coverage, or credible profile characterizes Karem as a 'Never Trumper.' The Defense News and Daily Caller coverage of his 2017 nomination noted he had previously worked as a foreign policy adviser to Jeb Bush during the 2016 primary, but he subsequently served Trump in a Senate-confirmed role — the opposite of a Never Trumper posture, which typically refers to Republicans who refused to support Trump's nomination or administration.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Karem; https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/assistant-secretary-of-defense-robert-karem-to-serve-as-national-security-advisor-for-leader-mcconnell; https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2018/10/24/pentagons-top-international-policy-official-exits-pentagon-to-join-mcconnells-office/; https://dailycaller.com/2017/04/25/trump-to-pick-jeb-foreign-policy-adviser-for-key-pentagon-position/; https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2017/04/25/trump-announces-two-more-nominees-for-pentagon-spots/; https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/robert-story-karem

> The SAVE AMERICA ACT is a '97% issue'

**UNVERIFIABLE**

No publicly sourced polling supports a 97% approval figure for any specific 'Save America Act'; Trump frequently cites unsourced supermajority statistics.

> Karem 'is praised relentlessly by Obama's people'

**HALF TRUE**

There is documented praise from Obama-era officials for Karem, but characterizing it as 'relentless' substantially overstates a discrete cluster of complimentary statements at the time of his 2017 Pentagon nomination. The most prominent example: Derek Chollet, who held the same Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs position under Obama (2012-2015), tweeted: 'Not often I say this, but terrific news from Trump Admin: Robert Karem nomn'd for Asst SecDef ISA. He's smart, savvy, & skilled. Great pick!' Chollet's framing ('Not often I say this') explicitly highlights that praising Trump nominees was unusual for him — making this a one-off endorsement rather than ongoing flattery. Additionally, Loren Dejonge Schulman, a former Defense Department and National Security Council staffer under Obama then at the Center for a New American Security, called Karem and his co-nominee 'excellent picks.' Defense News reported his nomination 'drew praise from an unexpected sector — a group of former Obama-era defense officials.' However, this praise was limited to (1) his 2017 confirmation moment and (2) general professional respect for his bipartisan-perceived national-security expertise; there is no evidence of a sustained or 'relentless' pattern of Obama-world praise spanning years. Two cited compliments at one nomination moment do not equate to 'relentless' praise from 'Obama's people.'

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Karem; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Chollet; https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2017/04/25/trump-announces-two-more-nominees-for-pentagon-spots/; https://thehill.com/policy/defense/330496-trump-nominates-two-new-dod-officials/; https://dailycaller.com/2017/04/25/trump-to-pick-jeb-foreign-policy-adviser-for-key-pentagon-position/

> Karem is the reason McConnell opposes ending the filibuster

**MOSTLY FALSE**

McConnell has been an outspoken, longtime institutional defender of the legislative filibuster for decades, well predating any staff relationship with Karem; attributing his position to a single aide is not supported by his public record.

Overall Veracity: 35%

## Receipts (1)

### major — other (2 months earlier)

> The SAVE AMERICA ACT is a '97% issue'

_May 13, 2026_

vs.

> The Save America Act is an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS

_Mar 8, 2026_

Both claims make a specific numerical assertion about voter support for the Save America Act, but cite directly conflicting figures: the source (2026-05-13) says it is a '97% issue,' while this candidate (2026-03-08) says it is an '88% issue with ALL VOTERS.' These are the same metric — the share of voters who supposedly support the Act — stated about the same legislation just ~2 months apart, with a 9-percentage-point discrepancy. No acknowledged change in circumstances explains the shift, making this a clear factual contradiction.

[View contradicting post](/post/ts_116193527873859174)

## Tags

- Mitch McConnell (70%)
- Robert Karem (95%)
- filibuster (60%)
- staff termination demand (90%)
- Never Trumper labeling (70%)
- displacement (80%)
- projection (70%)
- late-night posting (80%)

## That day

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

**Headed to Beijing, Trump demands the firing of the aide who whispered in Mitch McConnell's ear**

Trump spent the evening before and the first hours of his flight to China posting. It began as a victory lap: a run of congratulations graphics for candidates he endorsed who won the West Virginia and Nebraska primaries. Once aboard Air Force One he hit back at CNBC for reporting that Nvidia's Jensen Huang had been left off the trip, saying Huang was on the plane, and the post went up two more times as reposts. Around midnight Washington time the mood soured: he demanded that a Senate aide be fired for making McConnell "look foolish" at a hearing. The flight then went quiet for more than half a day, broken only by a short music video.

Full digest for 2026-05-13: https://trump.fm/date/2026-05-13/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2026, May 13). The guy that came up to Mitch McConnell today... [Social media post]. Truth Social. trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/ts_116565310767957780
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The guy that came up to Mitch McConnell today when..." Truth Social, 13 May. 2026. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_116565310767957780. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The guy that came up to Mitch McConnell today when...," Truth Social, May 13, 2026, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/ts_116565310767957780.

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