# Post x_1036054534450229200 - Post ID: `x_1036054534450229200` - Platform: X (Twitter) - Posted: 2018-09-02T04:53:44.000Z (UTC) - Deleted: no - Repost: no - Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_1036054534450229200 - Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_1036054534450229200/analysis - Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_1036054534450229200.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording) ## Post text > ....positions of power. That’s part of the story of the Russia Hoax. Christopher Steele is on the payroll of Hillary Clinton &, the FBI, &, when they fired him for lying, they continued to use him. Violation of FBI regulations. Kept trying to verify the unverifiable.” @GreggJarrett ## Engagement - Likes: 0 - Reposts: 13,237 - Replies: 0 - Views: unknown - Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:33:25.037Z (UTC) # Analysis _Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-15T23:28:18.263Z (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 12:53 AM EDT on September 2—hours after the McCain National Cathedral funeral where Trump faced public exclusion, implicit criticism from two former presidents, and Meghan McCain's direct counter-messaging of his signature slogan—this tweet represents textbook displacement of narcissistic injury onto a pre-authorized grievance channel. Rather than processing the public humiliation, Trump redirected emotional arousal into attacks on the Russia investigation via Fox News commentary amplification. The quote-attribution format (Gregg Jarrett as rhetorical proxy) illustrates a consistent pattern: delegating extreme attacks to sympathetic media voices while maintaining superficial deniability. DARVO is the dominant structural frame—Deny the investigation's legitimacy ("Russia Hoax"), Attack the investigators as partisan persecutors, Reverse the victim/offender roles (Clinton as the true colluder, Trump team as the true victims). The Steele-related claims contain meaningful factual distortions serving the projection defense: "payroll of Hillary Clinton" misrepresents an attenuated contracting chain; "fired for lying" mischaracterizes a source termination for unauthorized media disclosures. These distortions attribute to Clinton precisely the Russia-connection vulnerability Trump faces. Late-night timing and the five-tweet cascade indicate authentic authorship and emotional dysregulation consistent with acute narcissistic injury. The paranoid features are elevated above routine baseline: the persecution narrative is unusually elaborated, the conspiratorial framing more explicit than maintenance-level posting. Clinically consistent with malignant narcissism under acute stress responding via displacement, projection, and splitting. ## Analysis: Thread Continuation — 2018-09-02 (~12:53 AM EDT) ### Contextual Frame This tweet is the second segment of a two-part thread quoting Fox News legal commentator Gregg Jarrett, posted at approximately 12:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time on September 2—hours after John McCain's nationally-televised funeral at Washington National Cathedral, from which Trump was conspicuously uninvited. Obama and Bush delivered eulogies widely read as implicit rebukes of Trump's character and leadership; Meghan McCain's "America was always great" directly countered Trump's signature slogan. The preceding days had included the flag-lowering controversy (Trump prematurely raised the White House flag after McCain's death, reversed under bipartisan pressure). This backdrop is critical to interpreting the emotional valence and timing of this late-night tweet cascade. ### Authorship Attribution **High confidence: authentic Trump.** UTC 04:53:44 converts to ~12:53 AM EDT on September 2. Late-night timing is the primary authorship indicator. The post is part of a rapid-fire cascade of at least five thematically linked tweets attacking the Russia investigation within a single session—characteristic of emotional-arousal-driven posting. The HTML entity artifact ("&," with a comma rather than the standard semicolon) in this post and its predecessor suggests live transcription from a broadcast—Trump watching Fox News and tweeting Jarrett's commentary in real time. Aide-drafted posts typically appear during business hours and use polished grammar; this post exhibits the reactive, media-consumption-triggered pattern typical of authentic Trump. ### Psychological State and Triggers **Primary trigger: compounded narcissistic injury.** The McCain funeral represented one of the most public humiliations of Trump's presidency to that point—explicit disinvitation by a dying peer (historically rare), eulogies by two former presidents read as implicit critiques, the flag controversy dragged into public view, and Meghan McCain's direct counter-messaging of his slogan. Trump's response is textbook narcissistic injury processing via displacement: rather than directly addressing the wound source (McCain, family, former presidents), he redirects arousal toward the Russia investigation narrative—a pre-existing, permissible grievance channel that allows victimhood expression without acknowledging the actual humiliation. **Narcissistic state: mixed, vulnerable dominant.** The victim frame ("no fairness here," "coming after you with a vengeance") reflects the vulnerable narcissistic pole. The implied superior moral standing over investigators reflects a grandiose underlay. **Arousal indicator:** Five separate Fox News quote-tweets in one late-night session on a single topic exceeds routine maintenance posting and indicates significant emotional activation. ### Defense Mechanisms 1. **Displacement (neurotic):** Narcissistic rage generated by the McCain funeral's public humiliation is redirected toward the Russia investigation—a safe, pre-authorized grievance target allowing emotional discharge without ego exposure. 2. **Projection (immature):** Accusing Clinton of funding Russian-sourced intelligence and maintaining a "payroll" relationship with Kremlin-connected figures directly mirrors Trump's own investigative vulnerability. The mechanism attributes to the adversary precisely what the self is accused of. 3. **Rationalization (neurotic):** Jarrett's pseudo-legal framing ("Violation of FBI regulations," "fired for lying") provides apparent logical scaffolding for what is fundamentally an emotional response to perceived persecution. 4. **Splitting (immature):** Binary moral universe—Democrats receive immunity and protection, Trump allies receive persecution. Zero acknowledgment of investigative basis or complexity. 5. **Denial (pathological, low-intensity):** The phrase "Russia Hoax" encapsulates wholesale denial of the investigation's legitimacy, treating an ongoing federal criminal inquiry as entirely fabricated. ### Rhetorical Analysis The quote-attribution format is a sophisticated rhetorical device: it allows Trump to amplify extreme claims while maintaining one layer of deniability. Yet by selectively broadcasting Jarrett's commentary to ~54 million followers, Trump operationally endorses and propagates it. Key techniques include whataboutism (Clinton pivot), DARVO (Deny-Attack-Reverse Victim-Offender), false equivalence, appeal to authority via Fox News commentators, and the "Russia Hoax" labeling device. ### Fact Verification | Claim | Verdict | Evidence | |-------|---------|----------| | "Christopher Steele is on the payroll of Hillary Clinton and the FBI" | **Mostly False** | Steele was contracted by Fusion GPS, which was retained by Perkins Coie (the Clinton campaign's law firm) - a two-step intermediary chain. The FBI separately paid Steele as a confidential human source before terminating him in November 2016. 'On the payroll' implies direct employment that misrepresents both relationships. | | "The FBI fired Steele for lying" | **Mostly False** | The FBI terminated Steele as a paid confidential source in November 2016 due to unauthorized media disclosures (contacts with journalists violating source handling protocols). The characterization 'for lying' is a partisan framing not established in the documentary record. | | "After firing him they continued to use him" | **Half True** | Factually accurate that FBI terminated Steele's paid source relationship while continuing to receive his reporting through DOJ channels via Bruce Ohr. The underlying factual core is correct though the framing omits that this occurred through a different channel. | | "Violation of FBI regulations" | **Half True** | The DOJ Inspector General later found significant procedural issues with FISA applications related to Steele's reporting, including 17 errors or omissions. However, this was not yet established at posting time and the full characterization is more nuanced than a blanket 'violation.' | Overall Veracity: 35% ## Authorship Analysis **Self-Written** (score: 88%) ### Indicators - 12:53 AM EDT posting time - deep within authentic Trump late-night window - Part of 5-tweet late-night cascade on identical topic indicating arousal-driven posting - HTML entity artifact with comma instead of semicolon suggests live transcription from broadcast TV - Quote-tweet amplification of Fox News personality - classic authentic Trump media-consumption reflex - No polished grammar or professional formatting signals associated with aide drafting ## Psychological Profile ### State **Vulnerable State** **Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (McCain funeral public exclusion; Obama/Bush eulogies as implicit critiques; Meghan McCain counter-slogan; ongoing Russia investigation) **Rage:** Intensity 65% targeting FBI leadership, Mueller investigative team, Hillary Clinton, perceived partisan justice system - Proportionality: 20% Sentiment: -0.68 **Mildly Hypomanic** - Five thematically linked tweets in single late-night session suggesting elevated energy and reduced impulse control - 12:53 AM posting on emotionally charged topic rather than deferring to morning - Cascade pace suggests reduced need for sleep or rest-state emotional regulation ### Clinical **Malignant Narcissism:** - Narcissistic: 85% - Antisocial: 50% - Paranoid: 78% - Sadism: 18% **Defense Mechanisms:** - displacement (neurotic) - projection (immature) - splitting (immature) - rationalization (neurotic) - denial (pathological) **Cognitive Complexity:** - Complexity: 38% **Parasocial Techniques:** - Live-tweeting Fox News commentary to create shared outrage experience with followers - Positioning followers as fellow victims of the same unjust system - In-group/out-group reinforcement via connected to Donald Trump as identity marker under siege - Grievance amplification: rebroadcasting external voices to validate persecution frame ## Danger Assessment **ELEVATED** ### Indicators - Sustained delegitimization of law enforcement institutions erodes authority basis for accountability mechanisms - Persecution narrative targeting named individuals (Mueller, Weissman) within broader ecosystem where lock her up chants occurred at Trump rally same week - Pattern of institutionally delegitimizing rhetoric creates ambient threat environment for named officials ### Gaslighting - Russia Hoax label demands followers reject legitimacy of ongoing federal criminal inquiry as condition of in-group membership - Attacks on institutional reality-anchors (FBI, DOJ) as fundamentally corrupt and partisan - False factual framing about Steele presented as established fact requiring no evidence - DARVO inversion positions investigators as the true criminals and investigated party as the true victim ## Fact Checks (4) _The model's verdicts from 2026-03-15._ > Christopher Steele is on the payroll of Hillary Clinton and the FBI **MOSTLY FALSE** Steele was contracted by Fusion GPS, which was retained by Perkins Coie (the Clinton campaign's law firm) - a two-step intermediary chain. The FBI separately paid Steele as a confidential human source before terminating him in November 2016. 'On the payroll' implies direct employment that misrepresents both relationships. Sources: DOJ Inspector General Report on Crossfire Hurricane (2019); Senate Intelligence Committee Report Vol. 5 (2020) > The FBI fired Steele for lying **MOSTLY FALSE** The FBI terminated Steele as a paid confidential source in November 2016 due to unauthorized media disclosures (contacts with journalists violating source handling protocols). The characterization 'for lying' is a partisan framing not established in the documentary record. Sources: DOJ IG Report Chapter 9 (2019) > After firing him they continued to use him **HALF TRUE** Factually accurate that FBI terminated Steele's paid source relationship while continuing to receive his reporting through DOJ channels via Bruce Ohr. The underlying factual core is correct though the framing omits that this occurred through a different channel. Sources: DOJ IG Report (2019) > Violation of FBI regulations **HALF TRUE** The DOJ Inspector General later found significant procedural issues with FISA applications related to Steele's reporting, including 17 errors or omissions. However, this was not yet established at posting time and the full characterization is more nuanced than a blanket 'violation.' Sources: DOJ IG Report on FISA Applications (December 2019) Overall Veracity: 35% ## Tags - Russia investigation (95%) - displacement (88%) - projection (82%) - DARVO (85%) - narcissistic_injury_response (87%) - Fox News amplification (90%) - whataboutism (88%) - institution_delegitimization (80%) - vulnerable_narcissism (75%) - late_night_authentic (88%) - McCain_funeral_displacement (82%) - epistemic_closure (85%) ## That day _From trump.fm's machine-generated digest of the day, not his words._ **McCain Funeral Exclusion Drives Late-Night Defensive Cascade Before Morning Grandiose Reset** Trump spent the night after John McCain's nationally televised funeral -- from which he was pointedly excluded -- firing off a string of Fox News quotes attacking the Mueller investigation and defending the Trump Tower meeting. The late-night posts were defensive and aggrieved, naming prosecutors Mueller and Weissman as partisan persecutors. By morning, the mood shifted sharply: he pivoted to celebrating Tiger Woods' diplomatic remarks as personal endorsement and touting Black unemployment statistics. The day's arc traced a clear path from wounded to boastful, with the Mueller probe consuming the bulk of his attention. Full digest for 2018-09-02: https://trump.fm/date/2018-09-02/analysis ## Citation - APA: Trump, D. J. (2018, September 2). ....positions of power. That’s part of the story... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_1036054534450229200 - MLA: Trump, Donald J. "....positions of power. That’s part of the story of the..." X (Twitter), 2 Sep. 2018. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_1036054534450229200. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026. - Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "....positions of power. That’s part of the story of the...," X (Twitter), September 2, 2018, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_1036054534450229200. ## 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_1036054534450229200 - Analysis as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/analysis/x_1036054534450229200 - All citation formats: https://trump.fm/api/cite/x_1036054534450229200 - Same day: https://trump.fm/date/2018-09-02 - The record alone, without the analysis: https://trump.fm/post/x_1036054534450229200.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`._