Analysis: ....Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is with us in all ways, a very hi...

6y ago Jun 23, 2020 at 6:41 PM

....Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is with us in all ways, a very high 72% Approval Rating. So, if he is in charge along with V.P. etc., and with us doing all of these really good things, why doesn’t the Lamestream Media treat us as they should? Answer: Because they are Fake News!

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AI Analysis

Machine-generated analysis of the post above on 2026-03-19. Not written by the author of the post.

Danger Level

None

Narcissistic State

Vulnerable

Authorship

Self-Written

Intensity

44%

This June 23, 2020 post exemplifies Trump's characteristic vulnerable narcissistic state under multi-threat pressure. Simultaneously facing the Tulsa rally humiliation, COVID surge, DACA defeat, and Bolton revelations, the post constructs a defensive counter-narrative anchored to Fauci's 72% approval — borrowed as credibility rather than genuine endorsement. The central rhetorical move is an appeal by association: co-opt an approved figure's popularity to claim administrative validation, then weaponize the gap between that approval and actual media coverage as evidence of bias. Defense mechanisms include rationalization (Fauci's popularity as proof of success), displacement (grievance redirected from failures to media), denial (framing a surging pandemic as "really good things"), and splitting (binary good-us/bad-media world). The "Fake News" terminus functions as epistemic closure — preemptively discrediting any coverage contradicting the self-assessment. Stylistically authentic Trump despite business-hours timing. No violent imagery, dehumanizing language, or stochastic terrorism indicators. Cognitive markers are absent; the logical non-sequitur is baseline-consistent. This post does not represent significant deviation from established patterns — it is one data point in a persistent paranoid-narcissistic grievance reflex that intensifies reliably under external threat.

Authorship Analysis

Self-Written

Indicators:

Leading ellipsis '....' is a direct continuation of previous thread post ending 'But they do give....'
'Lamestream Media' is an idiosyncratic Trump neologism not used by aides
Rhetorical question-then-self-answer format ('Answer: Because they are Fake News!') mirrors Trump's oral transcription style
Logical non-sequitur (Fauci approval → media should cover us better) reflects authentic associative reasoning
Capitalization conventions ('Lamestream,' 'Fake News,' 'V.P.') consistent with personal Trump posting

Psychological Profile

▶ State

Vulnerable State

Trigger: Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Accumulated bad press from Tulsa rally failure, COVID surge, DACA defeat, Bolton book, Berman firing)

Rage: Intensity 38% targeting Mainstream media / 'Lamestream Media'

Proportionality

25%

Sentiment

-0.32

▶ Clinical

Malignant Narcissism:

Narcissistic

62%

Antisocial

20%

Paranoid

55%

Sadism

Defense Mechanisms:

rationalizationdisplacementdenialsplitting

Cognitive Complexity:

Complexity

28%

Parasocial Techniques:

Rhetorical question addressed directly to follower base ('why doesn't the Lamestream Media treat us as they should?')Self-answer format that performs debate on behalf of followers, pre-supplying grievance validationInclusive 'we' and 'us' framing that absorbs followers into the aggrieved collective

Danger Assessment

None

Gaslighting Detected:

Asserting COVID response deserves positive coverage precisely as cases surge to record highs — inviting followers to accept a reality contradicted by simultaneous news
'Fake News' label deployed preemptively to discredit any coverage contradicting the self-assessment, before specific criticisms are engaged
Fauci's approval co-opted as administration validation when contemporaneous polling explicitly contrasted Fauci favorability with Trump COVID disapproval

Reality Distortions:

Framing administration COVID performance as deserving positive coverage while record daily cases were being set during an ongoing second wave surge
Co-opting Fauci's approval rating as administrative validation when contemporaneous polling showed Fauci's high approval was frequently contrasted with — not attributed to — Trump's COVID leadership
Presenting 'Fake News' as the explanatory variable for negative coverage rather than substantive policy failures (Tulsa rally, COVID surge, DACA defeat)

Fact Checks (3)

"Dr. Fauci has a 'very high 72% Approval Rating'"

Mostly True

Multiple polls in spring-summer 2020 showed Fauci with approval ratings in the 65-80% range. A June 2020 CNN poll showed 67% approval; other outlets recorded up to 80%. The 72% figure is within the range of contemporaneous polling.

"Administration is 'doing all of these really good things' on COVID"

Mostly False

As of June 23, 2020, the US had exceeded 2.4 million total cases and 124,000+ deaths, with 26 states showing upward trends and a new second wave beginning. Record daily case counts were being set. While ventilator production and testing volume were genuine achievements, the overall pandemic outcome was among the worst in the developed world on a per-capita basis.

"Media refuses to acknowledge COVID accomplishments"

Half True

Major outlets did cover ventilator production and testing milestones positively. However, concurrent coverage of surging cases, high death tolls, and Tulsa rally COVID failures was also factually grounded. The characterization that no positive coverage occurred is inaccurate; that critical coverage dominated reflects the objective news environment.

Receipts

No contradictions with other posts detected yet.

Analytical Commentary: June 23, 2020 — Fauci Approval / Fake News Grievance

Authorship Attribution

Local time: The UTC stamp of 18:41:52 converts to 2:41 PM EDT at the White House. This falls squarely within business hours, which is a Scavino-associated window. However, several strong stylistic markers push against aide authorship:

The leading ellipsis ("....") is a direct continuation of the prior tweet ending "But they do give...." — an unpolished thread-continuation device Trump uses personally
"Lamestream Media" is an idiosyncratic Trump neologism absent from aide-written communications
The rhetorical question-then-self-answer format ("why doesn't... Answer: Because they are Fake News!") is a signature Trump oral transcription pattern
The logical non-sequitur — Fauci's approval rating as grounds for media grievance — reflects the associative, not-quite-following chain typical of authentic Trump posts
Capitalization ("Lamestream," "Fake News," "V.P.") follows his personal conventions

Assessment: Likely authentic Trump, possibly with light aide cleanup. The business-hours timing moderates confidence slightly.

Psychological State and Triggers

This post arrives amid an extraordinary cluster of simultaneous stressors on June 23, 2020:

COVID-19 cases surging toward record highs (26 states trending upward)
Tulsa rally humiliation — 6,200 attendees vs. near-1M claimed ticket requests
Supreme Court DACA defeat (5-4)
Bolton book publication revealing damaging details
Geoffrey Berman firing generating negative coverage
Noose/Bubba Wallace story dominating news cycle

The post represents a consolidation defense under pressure: rather than address any specific failure, Trump constructs a unifying counter-narrative ("we did all these good things") anchored to the one positive data point available — Fauci's 72% approval rating — and deploys it as leverage for a media grievance.

Trigger type: Primarily narcissistic injury from accumulated bad press compounded by the Tulsa humiliation. The post is a reactive grievance, not supply-seeking or preemptive.

Narcissistic state: Vulnerable — the post betrays persecution preoccupation rather than expansive grandiosity. The grandiosity is present but subordinated to victimhood ("why doesn't the Lamestream Media treat us as they should?").

Defense Mechanisms

Rationalization (neurotic): Fauci's 72% approval is co-opted as evidence that the administration's COVID response is validated, which then becomes grounds for demanding positive media coverage. The logical chain does not hold — Fauci's popularity was often contrasted with Trump's COVID handling — but it functions as a self-serving justification.
Displacement (neurotic): Genuine failures (COVID surge, Tulsa debacle, DACA loss) are not addressed. Instead, grievance is redirected to the media as the proximate cause of all negative perception.
Denial (pathological): The framing of "doing all of these really good things" in the context of record COVID case surges represents a refusal to engage with objective external reality. US was entering a second wave. The positivity is not delusional in the clinical sense but is a deliberate denial of countervailing evidence.
Splitting (immature): The world is cleanly divided: the administration (with Fauci, V.P., doing "good things") vs. the Lamestream Media (Fake News). No middle ground acknowledged.

Rhetorical Analysis

Appeal to authority by association: Fauci's 72% approval is invoked not to credit Fauci, but to borrow his credibility and transfer it to the administration. This is a rhetorical sleight of hand — Fauci's approval at this period was despite, not because of, administration COVID messaging.
False equivalence: High public approval of Fauci ≠ media should positively cover Trump's COVID record. The syllogism is constructed to seem logical while containing a category error.
Ad hominem reductio: "Lamestream Media" reduces the entire press corps to a dismissible caricature, short-circuiting engagement with specific criticisms.
Rhetorical question/self-answer: The "Answer: Because they are Fake News!" structure performs the debate he is avoiding having — Trump asks the question and provides the answer, leaving no space for legitimate inquiry.
Superlatives: "really good things" (vague, self-referential positive claim)

No violent imagery, no dehumanizing language, no stochastic terrorism indicators in this post.

Narrative Identity

Protagonist role: Competent, besieged executive — doing the right things, surrounded by competent people (Fauci, V.P.), unjustly denied recognition
Narrative sequence: Contamination — the good work is poisoned by media betrayal/refusal to acknowledge it
Identity claims: Competent COVID responder; leader of a unified team; victim of systematic press bias
Contrasting other: "Lamestream Media" / "Fake News" — the corrupt institutional force denying reality

Gaslighting and Reality Distortion

Mild gaslighting is present. The post asserts the administration's COVID record should generate positive coverage at the precise moment cases were surging toward record highs. This is not confabulation (cognitive error) but deliberate framing — the reader is invited to accept a reality contradicted by the daily case count. The "Fake News" label is deployed to preemptively discredit any reporting that contradicts the self-assessment.

Epistemic closure: Classic. In-group is defined by acceptance that media criticism = fake; out-group is defined by believing the critical coverage.

Fact Verification

Claim	Verdict	Evidence
"Dr. Fauci has a 'very high 72% Approval Rating'"	Mostly True	Multiple polls in spring-summer 2020 showed Fauci with approval ratings in the 65-80% range. A June 2020 CNN poll showed 67% approval; other outlets recorded up to 80%. The 72% figure is within the range of contemporaneous polling.
"Administration is 'doing all of these really good things' on COVID"	Mostly False	As of June 23, 2020, the US had exceeded 2.4 million total cases and 124,000+ deaths, with 26 states showing upward trends and a new second wave beginning. Record daily case counts were being set. While ventilator production and testing volume were genuine achievements, the overall pandemic outcome was among the worst in the developed world on a per-capita basis.
"Media refuses to acknowledge COVID accomplishments"	Half True	Major outlets did cover ventilator production and testing milestones positively. However, concurrent coverage of surging cases, high death tolls, and Tulsa rally COVID failures was also factually grounded. The characterization that no positive coverage occurred is inaccurate; that critical coverage dominated reflects the objective news environment.

Overall Veracity: 50%