# Post x_246334835558342656

- Post ID: `x_246334835558342656`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2012-09-13T19:49:36.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342656
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342656/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_246334835558342656.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne 'Success.' Exclusively available at @Macy's http://t.co/8YMD9fQH And best shirts & ties

## Engagement

- Likes: 10
- Reposts: 40
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.266Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-02-10T23:17:33.844Z (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 promotional tweet is clinically significant due to its jarring placement: posted mid-afternoon on September 13, 2012, interrupting Trump's sustained political attacks on Obama over the Benghazi embassy crisis (which killed 4 Americans two days prior). Within three hours, Trump pivoted from blaming Obama for putting "radicals in power" to promoting his cologne with claims of "great feedback."  The tonal whiplash reveals narcissistic supply-seeking that overrides contextual appropriateness—crisis and commerce exist in separate compartments without conflict. Defense mechanisms include denial (of inappropriate timing), idealization (self-congratulation), and rationalization (business transcends tragedy). The rapid affect switching from anger to commercial enthusiasm, combined with sustained high energy across political and commercial domains, suggests possible mild hypomania or represents Trump's established baseline pattern.  Personality analysis shows extreme extraversion (assertive self-promotion), very low agreeableness (empathy deficit—no pause for national mourning), and dominant agency motives (status through Macy's association, achievement through "Success" branding). The protagonist role is The Dealmaker/Mogul, separate from his Political Warrior identity active in surrounding tweets.  Authorship likely aide-written (business hours, professional polish) with Trump approval, reflecting collaborative production. Rhetorically standard commercial persuasion (bandwagon, prestige association, superlatives). No danger indicators.  Clinical significance: moderate. Not the content itself but the placement exposes impaired social judgment, transactional worldview (all contexts are promotional opportunities), and empathy deficits characteristic of narcissistic personality. Pattern consistent with Trump baseline rather than acute deterioration.

# Psychological Analysis: Trump Tweet on September 13, 2012  ## Executive Summary This post represents a **jarring tonal shift** from acute political aggression to commercial self-promotion, occurring just two days after the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans. The preceding four tweets on September 13 were intensely focused on attacking Obama over the embassy crisis, accusing him of putting "radicals in power" and deserving "blame." Then, at 3:49 PM ET, Trump pivots abruptly to promote his cologne.  This is **clinically significant** as it demonstrates several concerning patterns: compartmentalization of affect, opportunistic self-promotion regardless of context, and potential hypomania indicators (rapid topic switching, grandiosity, commercial energy during a national crisis).  ## Temporal and Authorship Context  **Location & Timing:** September 13, 2012, 19:49 UTC = **3:49 PM Eastern Time**. Trump was almost certainly in New York (his primary residence and business hub in 2012). This is mid-afternoon business hours—a strong indicator this could be **aide-written**, though the self-promotional nature and timing suggest possible authentic Trump.  **Authorship Assessment:** - **AGAINST authentic Trump:** Business hours (3:49 PM), perfect grammar, polished promotional copy, proper ampersand encoding (&), strategic product placement with retailer tag - **FOR authentic Trump:** Shameless self-promotion during inappropriate context, grandiose claim ("I keep getting great feedback"), use of first person, exclamation-free but self-aggrandizing - **Verdict:** **60% likely aide-written (Scavino)** - This reads like a scheduled promotional tweet, possibly pre-planned as part of the cologne launch campaign. However, Trump may have approved or directed it. The timing (afternoon) and polish suggest professional social media management.  ## Psychological State & Triggers  **Narcissistic State:** Grandiose (promotional, self-celebrating)  **Trigger Type:** Supply-seeking + Maintenance. This is routine audience engagement with a commercial motive, but the timing—inserted between political attacks—suggests Trump (or his team) felt comfortable pivoting from national tragedy to personal profit within hours.  **Compartmentalization:** The ability to switch from "Obama deserves blame for embassy deaths" (3 hours earlier) to "buy my cologne" demonstrates either: 1. Extreme compartmentalization (crisis/profit exist in separate mental spaces) 2. Hypomania (topic switching without appropriate affect modulation) 3. Sociopathic indifference (national tragedy is not salient enough to pause self-promotion)  ## Personality Analysis (McAdams Framework)  ### Level 1: Dispositional Traits (Big Five)  **Extraversion (Very High):** - Assertiveness: Claims "great feedback," positions self as successful - Positive affect: Enthusiasm for commercial success - Excitement-seeking: The cologne itself is branded "Success"—aspirational grandiosity  **Agreeableness (Very Low):** - Low modesty: "I keep getting great feedback" (self-congratulatory) - Low tender-mindedness: No awareness that promoting cologne during national mourning period is tone-deaf - Exploitation: Using tragic news cycle for commercial exposure  **Conscientiousness (Mixed):** - Achievement striving: Product launch, business promotion - Deliberation (Low): Lack of judgment about appropriate timing  **Neuroticism (Low in this post):** - Stable, confident tone—no anxiety about how this will be received  **Openness (Low):** - Values rigidity: Commercial success as ultimate value, unmodified by context  ### Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations  **Agency Motives (Dominant):** - **Status:** Brand promotion ("exclusively available at @Macy's")—association with prestige retailer - **Achievement:** "great feedback," "Success" (literal product name) - **Power:** Ability to launch products, command retail partnerships  **Communion Motives:** Absent. No relational warmth, community concern, or empathy.  **Schemas:** - **Self:** Successful businessman whose products receive "great" reception - **Others:** Audience as consumers/admirers who provide "feedback" (narcissistic supply) - **World:** Marketplace where Trump-branded products deserve promotion regardless of external events  ### Level 3: Narrative Identity  **Protagonist Role:** **The Dealmaker/Mogul**—this is pure Trump-as-businessman, the role he inhabited before full political emergence  **Identity Claims:** - "Success" (product name is identity claim) - Association with Macy's (mainstream prestige) - Creator of desirable products  **Narrative Arc:** This is a **maintenance sequence**—Trump reinforcing his core businessman identity even while engaging in political combat. The alternation between political warrior (earlier tweets) and commercial promoter (this tweet) shows identity **multiplicity** without integration.  **Contrasting Other:** Implicit: Those who don't achieve "Success" (the cologne and the concept are deliberately conflated)  ### Level 4: Clinical Indicators  ## Malignant Narcissism Assessment  **A. Narcissistic Personality Features (3/9 present):** 1. ✓ Grandiosity: "great feedback" (unverified, self-reported acclaim) 2. ✓ Need for admiration: Broadcasting positive feedback 3. ✓ Lack of empathy: Promoting cologne while national mourning underway (Benghazi victims' families grieving)  **B. Antisocial Features (1/4 present):** 1. ✓ Disregard for social norms: Tone-deaf self-promotion during crisis  **C. Paranoid Features:** Absent in this post  **D. Ego-Syntonic Sadism:** Not applicable to this post  **Malignant Narcissism Score (this post): 4/17 indicators**  ## Defense Mechanisms  **Compartmentalization (Immature/Neurotic border):** - Separating political combat (Benghazi attacks) from commercial promotion - Allows simultaneous engagement in incompatible emotional registers  **Denial (Pathological):** - Refusing to acknowledge inappropriate timing - Denial of how this will appear to observers (reputational blindness)  **Grandiosity (Immature—Idealization of Self):** - "Great feedback"—uncritical self-celebration - Branding self with "Success"  ## Rhetorical & Propaganda Techniques  **Techniques Present:** - **Bandwagon:** "I keep getting great feedback" (others love it, you should too) - **Prestige Association:** "@Macy's" tag—borrowing retailer's mainstream credibility - **Branding Conflation:** "Success" as product name embeds aspirational association - **Superlative Implication:** "best shirts & ties" (comparative superiority)  **Dehumanizing Language:** None  **Violent Imagery:** None  **Propaganda Model (RAND Firehose):** The volume element is present—this is one of five tweets in a single day, maintaining constant presence across different domains (political attack + commercial promotion)  ## Gaslighting & Reality Distortion  **Not present in this post.** Claims are subjective ("great feedback") and commercial rather than factual/political.  ## Hypomania Indicators  **Mild to Moderate Indicators Present:**  1. **Rapid topic switching:** From Benghazi/Obama attacks to cologne promotion within 3 hours 2. **Grandiosity:** Product named "Success," claim of "great feedback" 3. **Increased goal-directed activity:** Commercial promotion during political combat 4. **Distractibility (possible):** Inability to maintain appropriate focus on serious political topic 5. **Poor judgment:** Tone-deaf timing  **Severity:** Mild. Could represent baseline Trump promotional energy rather than acute hypomania, but the juxtaposition with crisis-focused tweets raises questions about affect regulation.  ## Cognitive Status Markers  **Baseline Comparison Needed:** To assess whether this represents cognitive change, we'd need to compare to Trump's 1980s-2000s promotional language.   **This Post:** - **Vocabulary:** Simple, clear, commercially appropriate - **Syntax:** Straightforward, grammatically correct - **Coherence:** Logical for promotional content - **No paraphasias, confabulation, or temporal confusion**  **Assessment:** No cognitive decline markers in this post. Language is consistent with commercial copy (possibly professionally crafted).  ## Archetypal Analysis  **Primary Archetype:** **The King** (specifically, the King in his commercial domain) - Announcing products, commanding retail space - Bestowing "Success" upon followers (buy the cologne, access the quality)  **Secondary Archetype:** **The Merchant/Trickster** (border) - Selling during inappropriate context shows Trickster energy (rule-breaking) - But this is normalized self-promotion, not disruptive chaos  **Shadow Projection:** Not present in this post  **Mythological Pattern:** The King surveys his domain (commercial empire) and proclaims its excellence. This is **order-defending** (Trump's established business identity) rather than order-attacking (his political mode).  ## Order/Chaos Dynamics  **Positioning:** Order defender (in commercial sphere) - Promoting established products through establishment retailer - Conventional capitalism, status quo business  **Contrast with earlier tweets:** The political tweets were **order-attacking** (blaming Obama, attacking establishment). This commercial tweet is **order-participating** (playing by retail/marketing rules).  **Asymmetric Application:** Not applicable to this post  **Hierarchy Dynamics:**  - Elevating self (great feedback, success) - Elevating Macy's (exclusive partnership) - Implicitly diminishing competitors (not mentioned but implied by "best")  ## Danger Assessment  **Level: NONE**  No eliminationist language, no dehumanization, no calls to action, no targets identified. This is pure commercial content.  ## Fact Verification  **Claim 1:** "I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne 'Success.'" - **Verdict:** **Unverifiable** (subjective claim about private feedback) - **Evidence:** Product existed (Success by Trump, launched 2011-2012 per search results), was sold at Macy's. Whether feedback was "great" is subjective and unprovable.  **Claim 2:** "Exclusively available at @Macy's" - **Verdict:** **True** (at the time) - **Evidence:** [Macy's exclusive arrangement confirmed](https://www.macys.com/shop/product/success-by-trump-fragrance-collection-for-men-a-macys-exclusive?ID=669005), [Success by Trump Fragrantica](https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Trump/Success-13419.html)  **Claim 3:** "best shirts & ties" - **Verdict:** **Unverifiable** (subjective opinion) - **Evidence:** Trump menswear line existed at Macy's, but "best" is opinion not fact

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne 'Success'" | **Unverifiable** | Subjective claim about private feedback cannot be verified. Product 'Success by Trump' did exist and was launched 2011-2012, sold at Macy's as exclusive. Whether feedback was 'great' is opinion and unprovable. |
| "Exclusively available at @Macy's" | **True** | Success by Trump was indeed sold as a Macy's exclusive arrangement at the time of this tweet (2012). |
| "best shirts & ties" | **Unverifiable** | Subjective opinion. Trump menswear line existed at Macy's during this period, but 'best' is a value judgment without objective criteria. |

Overall Veracity: 67%

## Longitudinal Context & Pattern Analysis  **Preceding Posts (all from Sept 13, 2012):** 1. "bias press reports" against Romney 2. Romney "retaken the lead" (Obama bounce gone) 3. Romney should "stay on offense" on embassy issue 4. "Welcome to Obama's America" (poverty, income drop) 5. Federal deficit tops T "Congratulations to Obama" (sarcastic)  **Pattern:** Four consecutive political attacks on Obama (related to Benghazi, economy, polls)—then abrupt commercial pivot.  **This represents:** - **Identity switching:** Political warrior → Commercial promoter - **Affect dysregulation:** Anger/blame → Excitement/pride (rapid shift) - **Compartmentalization:** Crisis exploitation and profit-seeking coexist without conflict  **Comparison to Baseline:** We'd need extensive 2004-2012 Twitter analysis, but this pattern—mixing political combat with commercial promotion—appears consistent with Trump's established approach. He treated his Twitter as simultaneously a political weapon and a promotional platform from early adoption.  ## Integration: What This Post Reveals  This seemingly innocuous commercial tweet is psychologically revealing **not in isolation but in context**. Posted during: - National mourning (Benghazi attack 2 days prior, 4 Americans dead) - Intense political combat (Trump attacking Obama over embassy crisis all morning) - Presidential campaign (Trump supporting Romney, attacking Obama relentlessly)  **The tonal whiplash demonstrates:**  1. **Narcissistic Supply Management:** Trump maintains multiple supply streams (political attention + commercial admiration) and services both regardless of appropriateness  2. **Empathy Deficit:** No recognition that promoting cologne during national tragedy appears callous  3. **Transactional Worldview:** All contexts are opportunities (crisis = political attack opportunity; commercial product = promotional opportunity)  4. **Identity Fragmentation vs. Integration:** Rather than integrating roles (businessman-politician), Trump **alternates** between them rapidly, suggesting compartmentalization rather than synthesis  5. **Hypomania Markers (Mild):** The energy to maintain both political combat and commercial promotion simultaneously, with rapid switching and no apparent fatigue  ## Clinical Significance  **Moderate Clinical Significance.** While the post itself is mundane promotional content, its placement in the stream—interrupting crisis-focused political attacks to promote cologne—reveals: - Impaired social judgment - Narcissistic supply-seeking that overrides contextual appropriateness   - Possible hypomanic features (rapid topic switching, sustained high energy across domains) - Empathy deficits (no felt need to pause self-promotion during national mourning)  **Deviation from Baseline:** This appears **consistent** with Trump's established pattern (not a deviation), which is itself clinically notable. The baseline includes tone-deaf self-promotion as a stable feature.  ## Recommendations for Longitudinal Tracking  1. **Track commercial/political tweet ratio** during crisis periods—does Trump increase self-promotion during tragedy? 2. **Monitor affect switching speed**—how rapidly does he shift between anger and commercial enthusiasm? 3. **Assess empathy markers**—does he ever pause self-promotion for solemn occasions? 4. **Compare to 2015-2016 campaign**—does political professionalization reduce commercial intrusions, or do they increase?  ---  **Sources:** - [2012 Benghazi attack - Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/event/2012-Benghazi-attacks) - [Chronology: The Benghazi Attack And The Fallout - NPR](https://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166243318/chronology-the-benghazi-attack-and-the-fallout) - [Success by Trump - Macy's Exclusive](https://www.macys.com/shop/product/success-by-trump-fragrance-collection-for-men-a-macys-exclusive?ID=669005) - [Success Trump cologne - Fragrantica](https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Trump/Success-13419.html) - [Trump's 'Success' Also Comes in Cologne Form - TheStreet](https://www.thestreet.com/retail/trump-s-success-also-comes-in-cologne-form-13896489)

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 40%)

### Indicators

- Business hours timing (3:49 PM Eastern)
- Perfect grammar and formatting
- Professional promotional copy structure
- Proper HTML encoding (&)
- Strategic retailer tagging

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Supply Seeking (Commercial product launch promotion)

Sentiment: +0.75

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Rapid topic switching - from Benghazi attacks to cologne promotion within 3 hours
- Sustained high energy across multiple domains (political combat + commercial promotion)
- Grandiosity - product named 'Success', claims of 'great feedback'
- Possible poor judgment - tone-deaf timing during national crisis
- Increased goal-directed activity - maintaining both political and commercial presence simultaneously

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 33%
- Antisocial: 25%
- Paranoid: 0%
- Sadism: 0%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- denial (pathological)
- idealization (immature)
- rationalization (neurotic)

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Sharing 'feedback' as if including audience in commercial success
- First-person voice creating intimacy ('I keep getting')
- Invitation to participate in 'Success' (buy the cologne, join the winning)

## Fact Checks (3)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-02-10._

> I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne 'Success'

**UNVERIFIABLE**

Subjective claim about private feedback cannot be verified. Product 'Success by Trump' did exist and was launched 2011-2012, sold at Macy's as exclusive. Whether feedback was 'great' is opinion and unprovable.

Sources: https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Trump/Success-13419.html; https://www.macys.com/shop/product/success-by-trump-fragrance-collection-for-men-a-macys-exclusive?ID=669005

> Exclusively available at @Macy's

**TRUE**

Success by Trump was indeed sold as a Macy's exclusive arrangement at the time of this tweet (2012).

Sources: https://www.macys.com/shop/product/success-by-trump-fragrance-collection-for-men-a-macys-exclusive?ID=669005; https://www.thestreet.com/retail/trump-s-success-also-comes-in-cologne-form-13896489

> best shirts & ties

**UNVERIFIABLE**

Subjective opinion. Trump menswear line existed at Macy's during this period, but 'best' is a value judgment without objective criteria.

Overall Veracity: 67%

## Tags

- commercial_promotion (100%)
- narcissistic_supply_seeking (80%)
- tone_deaf_timing (90%)
- compartmentalization (70%)
- empathy_deficit (60%)
- grandiosity (60%)
- hypomania_possible (40%)
- businessman_identity (90%)
- benghazi_context (80%)

## That day

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

**Benghazi Exploitation: Trump Weaponizes Tragedy for Anti-Obama Birther Blitz**

September 13, 2012 captures Trump in calculated political opportunism mode, systematically exploiting the Benghazi crisis (attack occurred Sept 11-12) to attack Obama across a sustained 26-post, 11-hour campaign. The psychological arc reveals strategic narcissistic positioning rather than genuine outrage: Trump posted 5 anti-Obama foreign policy attacks between 9:01-14:27 EDT, then pivoted seamlessly to birther conspiracy promotion (3:40 PM), self-promotion for Celebrity Apprentice (12:46 PM), and cologne marketing (3:49 PM)—demonstrating extreme compartmentalization where national tragedy and personal branding coexist without cognitive dissonance. The dominant state is grandiose throughout, with Trump positioning himself as superior foreign policy analyst, truth-teller about Obama's fraudulent presidency, and successful businessman—three distinct protagonist identities deployed situationally. The danger escalates mid-afternoon when Trump transitions from policy criticism to delegitimization: sharing birther content and insinuating Obama coordinated the Benghazi attacks with 'good friends' in Libya/Egypt represents a shift from political combat to conspiracy-driven reality distortion that undermines democratic legitimacy.

Full digest for 2012-09-13: https://trump.fm/date/2012-09-13/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2012, September 13). I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342656
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne..." X (Twitter), 13 Sep. 2012. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342656. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne...," X (Twitter), September 13, 2012, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342656.

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