# Post x_1030536206415802369 - Post ID: `x_1030536206415802369` - Platform: X (Twitter) - Posted: 2018-08-17T19:25:52.000Z (UTC) - Deleted: no - Repost: no - Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_1030536206415802369 - Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_1030536206415802369/analysis - Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_1030536206415802369.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording) ## Post text > Which is worse, Hightax Andrew Cuomo's statement, “WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT” or Hillary Clinton’s “DEPLORABLES” statement... ## Engagement - Likes: 76,418 - Reposts: 18,617 - Replies: 0 - Views: unknown - Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.398Z (UTC) # Analysis _Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-15T20:19:15.032Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._ ## Summary Post is a rhetorical crowd-activation maneuver embedded in a five-tweet cluster reacting to Governor Cuomo's statement that America "was never that great." The comparison to Clinton's 2016 "deplorables" remark is the analytically notable element: it functions as grievance archaeology, reactivating a prior persecution touchstone to amplify the current one and frame Cuomo within an established Democratic villain taxonomy. This is characteristic maintenance behavior with a mild narcissistic injury trigger — the Cuomo statement directly contests Trump's central identity claim (MAGA), which functions as a narcissistic extension of the self. The grandiose state is held: earlier posts in the cluster assert Trump has *already* made America great, indicating the injury is being metabolized into counter-assertion rather than vulnerable retreat. Authorship is likely authentic (75% confidence) based on the attack nickname, ALL CAPS emphasis, trailing ellipsis, and reactive cluster context, despite the 3:25 PM EST timing. Mild hypomanic indicators are present in the volume and tempo of same-day posting. No danger indicators, no dehumanizing language, no stochastic terrorism patterns. Cognitive markers are within normal baseline for this subject. Epistemically, the post enforces closure: the rhetorical question presupposes both statements are offenses worthy of ranked moral condemnation, foreclosing engagement with the substantive content of either. # Psychological Analysis: Trump Twitter Post, August 17, 2018 ## Post Context This post is the fifth in a same-day cluster addressing Governor Andrew Cuomo's August 15, 2018 statement that America "was never that great." Trump had returned to New York City for the first time since January, where he was surrounded by protesters — a contextually significant backdrop. The Unite the Right 2 rally had just occurred, keeping racial and political tensions elevated. The Omarosa book and tape releases were dominating the news cycle simultaneously. --- ## Level 1: Dispositional Traits (Big Five) The post exhibits **low agreeableness** (contentious, combative framing), **high extraversion** (assertive, dominant, audience-directed), and **low conscientiousness** in the deliberative sense — the trailing "..." is consistent with impulsive composition over structured argument. **Neuroticism** surfaces in the reactive posting volume (five tweets on a single topic), though the grandiose rather than vulnerable register holds throughout the day's cluster. --- ## Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations — Motives and Schemas **Dominant motive: Status/Power (Agency).** The MAGA slogan functions as a narcissistic extension — it is not merely a political position but an identity claim. When Cuomo directly contests the premise of "Make America Great Again," Trump's motivational schema processes this as an attack requiring immediate, sustained counter-mobilization. The density of the posting cluster (five posts in a single day on this topic) reflects elevated motivational activation. **Schema of self:** Validator and defender of "real Americans." Trump positions himself not as personally aggrieved but as the *tribune* of a constituency that has been twice insulted by Democratic elites (Cuomo in 2018, Clinton in 2016). **Schema of other:** Democrats as a contemptuous elite class who fundamentally disrespect ordinary Americans. The strategic linkage of Cuomo to Clinton fuses the current opponent into an established villain framework, avoiding the need to construct a new case — instead, Cuomo becomes an instance of an already-proven pattern. --- ## Level 3: Narrative Identity **Protagonist role:** Defender-Validator of the aggrieved majority. Trump does not cast himself as the primary victim here — he casts *his followers* as victims, positioning himself as the one who names and documents the contempt directed at them. This is sophisticated parasocial bonding: the post is explicitly structured as a shared experience of indignation. **Narrative sequence: Contamination.** The implicit arc is: America was great / Democrats tried to demean it and its supporters in 2016 (Clinton's "deplorables") / they are *still* doing it in 2018 (Cuomo) / the contamination is ongoing and structural, not episodic. **Identity claims (implicit, from cluster context):** "I have already MADE America Great Again" — asserted directly in the prior post. The rhetorical question in this post presupposes that identity and invites followers to affirm it through their outrage at those who contest it. **Contrasting other:** Elite Democrats, with Cuomo and Clinton fused as synecdoches of Democratic contempt for ordinary Americans. --- ## Level 4: Clinical Indicators ### Narcissistic Dynamics **Trigger:** Narcissistic injury via contestation of identity. The MAGA slogan is not a mere policy position for this subject — it is a branded self-concept fused with his grandiose self-narrative. An attack on the slogan's premise ("it was never that great") is experienced as an attack on the validity of Trump's mission, achievements, and identity. **Narcissistic state: Grandiose.** The vulnerability reading is contradicted by the prior post's assertive counter-claim. The injury has been processed not through victimhood but through aggressive counter-assertion and audience mobilization. **Supply-seeking:** The rhetorical question ("which is worse?") is a textbook supply-generation mechanism. It invites followers into the role of jury, manufactures active participation, and generates engagement through moral judgment-making. The crowd becomes co-prosecutors. **Rage:** Not prominently present. The tone is more prosecutorial than enraged. Intensity is moderate (0.3/1.0). The "Hightax" nickname signals contempt rather than rage. ### Defense Mechanisms **Displacement (neurotic):** The invocation of Clinton's 2016 "deplorables" comment displaces part of the emotional charge from Cuomo (current, real) to Clinton (archived, symbolic). This *amplifies* rather than diminishes the grievance by embedding it in a larger pattern, while also redirecting some activation energy toward a safer, more established target. **Rationalization (neurotic):** The rhetorical question format creates pseudo-objective framing ("which is worse?") that performs neutrality while enacting condemnation. The structure implies fair adjudication; the content presupposes the verdict. **Projection (immature):** Both statements are framed as expressions of Democratic contempt for ordinary Americans — an attribution of contemptuous *intent* that may exceed what is documented in either statement. Cuomo's comment was made in the context of arguing women's rights had never been fully achieved; Clinton's was a fundraiser remark she partially retracted. Trump's framing strips both of context and projects maximal hostile intent. --- ## Rhetorical and Propaganda Analysis **Attack nickname ("Hightax Andrew Cuomo"):** Classic Trumpian branding — a single negative epithet serving as a cognitive anchor that reframes all subsequent mentions of the person. "Hightax" links Cuomo to economic grievance (taxes), not just political disagreement. It is deployed here apparently for the first time in this cluster, suggesting escalation from the earlier, non-nicknamed posts. **Grievance archaeology:** The Clinton "deplorables" reference is from September 2016 — nearly two years prior. Its invocation here is not incidental. It signals persistent rumination on prior narcissistic injuries and their utility as mobilization tools. The base reliably activates on this reference; its invocation keeps old wounds live and links current opponents to the established villain taxonomy. **Rhetorical question as jury-empanelment:** "Which is worse?" does not seek information. It performs a ritual of collective judgment, empaneling followers as moral authorities whose verdict (both are terrible, Democrats are contemptuous) is structurally predetermined by the framing. **RAND Firehose at micro-scale:** Five posts on a single topic in one day saturates the news cycle with a consistent message about Cuomo, preventing any single nuanced counter-narrative from establishing itself. Volume is itself a rhetorical strategy. **ALL CAPS quotation:** Renders the quoted statements in a visual register associated with shouting, alarm, and outrage — emotional amplification through typography. **Trailing ellipsis:** Leaves the indictment open and unresolved, signaling that the case is ongoing and more is coming. Rhetorically productive uncertainty. --- ## Authorship Attribution **Verdict: Likely authentic (75% confidence).** UTC 19:25 = 15:25 EDT. Trump was in New York City on this date. The afternoon timing is borderline for authentic authorship; however, the following markers strongly suggest authentic composition: - "Hightax" attack nickname (characteristic Trump branding behavior) - ALL CAPS quoted material (authentic Trump emphasis style) - Trailing "..." (incomplete thought, stream-of-consciousness composition) - Embedded in a reactive five-post same-day cluster including a "chocked"/"choked" typo and self-correction via repost — indicating an emotionally activated authentic session, not aide scheduling - Rhetorical question inviting audience participation (authentic crowd-engagement behavior) The afternoon timing lowers confidence from high to medium. The stylistic evidence predominates. --- ## Cognitive Status Within normal baseline for this subject's Twitter communications. Sentence structure is simple and fragmented, consistent with established patterns. No anomalous word substitution, temporal confusion, or name errors. The "chocked" typo in a prior cluster post indicates urgency over precision — a cognitive speed-accuracy tradeoff consistent with emotional activation, not deterioration. **Baseline deviation: none.** --- ## Epistemic Closure Analysis The post enforces epistemic closure by presupposing that both statements are morally condemnable offenses worthy of ranked comparison. The rhetorical question admits no response of the form "neither is especially grievous" — the framing forecloses that exit. Followers who accept the question's premise must accept its embedded verdict. This is a loyalty test: engagement with the question implies agreement that both statements represent Democratic contempt for Americans. --- ## Danger Assessment **Level: None.** No dehumanizing language, no eliminationist framing, no stochastic terrorism indicators, no violent imagery. The post is aggressive in political framing but operates entirely within the register of political attack rhetoric without escalating to threat-adjacent content. --- ## Longitudinal Notes The persistence of Clinton grievance material (two years post-election) is consistent with the subject's documented pattern of bearing grudges and archiving narcissistic injuries for future deployment. The Cuomo cluster also represents the most intense single-topic posting burst in this sample, suggesting that direct contestation of the MAGA identity-claim is among the most reliably activating triggers in this subject's psychological repertoire — more activating, apparently, than the contemporaneous Omarosa book release and tape controversy, which received only sporadic attention in this period's posts. ## Fact Verification | Claim | Verdict | Evidence | |-------|---------|----------| | "Andrew Cuomo said 'WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT'" | **Mostly True** | Cuomo made this statement at a bill-signing ceremony on August 15, 2018, in context of arguing women's rights had never been fully realized. He subsequently walked back the comment, saying it 'came out wrong.' The quote is accurate but the framing strips the contextual argument about specific rights. | | "Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters 'DEPLORABLES'" | **Mostly True** | Clinton said at a September 2016 fundraiser that 'half' of Trump supporters could be put in a 'basket of deplorables,' characterizing them as racist, sexist, etc. She subsequently apologized for saying 'half.' The characterization is accurate though the exact word was applied with a quantifier she later retracted. | Overall Veracity: 80% ## Authorship Analysis **Self-Written** (score: 75%) ### Indicators - Afternoon EST timing (3:25 PM) is borderline - within business hours but Trump was traveling/in NYC which disrupts routine - Trailing ellipsis ('...') strongly suggests incomplete thought or thread continuation - characteristic authentic Trump - Attack nickname 'Hightax Andrew Cuomo' follows established Trump diminutive pattern - ALL CAPS rendering of quoted statements is authentic Trump emphasis style - Rhetorical question format inviting audience judgment is classic Trump crowd-engagement behavior ## Psychological Profile ### State **Grandiose State** **Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Andrew Cuomo's statement that America 'was never that great' directly challenges the MAGA identity that Trump has fused with his own self-concept. An attack on 'Make America Great Again' is experienced as a direct attack on Trump's brand, mission, and grandiose self-narrative.) Sentiment: -0.45 **Mildly Hypomanic** - Five posts on the same topic (Cuomo) within a single day in rapid succession - Subjects shift rapidly between unrelated topics (parade costs, SEC reporting, Cuomo) suggesting elevated ideation tempo - Corrected 'chocked'→'choked' typo via repost indicates urgency overriding careful composition ### Clinical **Malignant Narcissism:** - Narcissistic: 60% - Antisocial: 20% - Paranoid: 30% - Sadism: 10% **Defense Mechanisms:** - displacement (neurotic) - rationalization (neurotic) - projection (immature) **Cognitive Complexity:** - Complexity: 35% **Parasocial Techniques:** - Rhetorical question invites followers to participate in judgment ('which is worse?'), manufacturing collective outrage and in-group solidarity - Implicitly positions followers as the aggrieved party targeted by both statements, reinforcing parasocial bond as shared persecution - Juxtaposition of Cuomo and Clinton signals: this is a pattern, you are under sustained attack by Democrats ## Fact Checks (2) _The model's verdicts from 2026-03-15._ > Andrew Cuomo said 'WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, IT WAS NEVER THAT GREAT' **MOSTLY TRUE** Cuomo made this statement at a bill-signing ceremony on August 15, 2018, in context of arguing women's rights had never been fully realized. He subsequently walked back the comment, saying it 'came out wrong.' The quote is accurate but the framing strips the contextual argument about specific rights. Sources: Known events context: Trump's Cuomo-related tweet cluster this date > Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters 'DEPLORABLES' **MOSTLY TRUE** Clinton said at a September 2016 fundraiser that 'half' of Trump supporters could be put in a 'basket of deplorables,' characterizing them as racist, sexist, etc. She subsequently apologized for saying 'half.' The characterization is accurate though the exact word was applied with a quantifier she later retracted. Sources: General knowledge - widely documented 2016 campaign event Overall Veracity: 80% ## Tags - supply-seeking (75%) - grievance-archaeology (70%) - MAGA-identity-defense (80%) - base-activation (75%) - attack-nickname (60%) - Cuomo-feud (85%) - Clinton-grievance-persistence (65%) ## That day _From trump.fm's machine-generated digest of the day, not his words._ **24-Post Blitz From Trump Tower: Brennan Victory Lap, Cuomo Obsession, and 2 AM Grievance Cycling** Trump spent the day on offense from New York, firing off 24 posts across nearly 22 hours -- including several well after midnight. Governor Cuomo's remark that America "was never that great" became an all-day fixation, drawing seven separate attacks spanning mockery, a typo correction, and a comparison to Hillary Clinton's "deplorables" moment. Late-night posts targeting the Mueller investigation and intelligence officials carried the day's sharpest edge, with rage building gradually through the small hours. A handful of economic boasts and some face-saving spin on the cancelled military parade provided brief interludes of presidential normalcy amid the combative tone. Full digest for 2018-08-17: https://trump.fm/date/2018-08-17/analysis ## Citation - APA: Trump, D. J. (2018, August 17). Which is worse, Hightax Andrew Cuomo's statement,... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_1030536206415802369 - MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Which is worse, Hightax Andrew Cuomo's statement, “WE’RE..." X (Twitter), 17 Aug. 2018. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_1030536206415802369. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026. - Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Which is worse, Hightax Andrew Cuomo's statement, “WE’RE...," X (Twitter), August 17, 2018, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_1030536206415802369. ## 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/x_1030536206415802369 - Analysis as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/analysis/x_1030536206415802369 - All citation formats: https://trump.fm/api/cite/x_1030536206415802369 - Same day: https://trump.fm/date/2018-08-17 - The record alone, without the analysis: https://trump.fm/post/x_1030536206415802369.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`._