# Post x_246334835558342660

- Post ID: `x_246334835558342660`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2012-09-13T23:49:36.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342660
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_246334835558342660/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_246334835558342660.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 &amp, ties

## Engagement

- Likes: 0
- Reposts: 40
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:33:24.868Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-02-10T23:18:31.121Z (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 commercial tweet, posted during the 2012 campaign and Benghazi crisis, demonstrates Trump's compartmentalized identity management. While attacking Obama for poverty and economic failure in adjacent same-day tweets, Trump promotes a cologne literally named "Success," creating a symbolic binary where Obama embodies failure and Trump incarnates prosperity. The post reveals high agency motives (status display through branded products), moderate narcissistic features (grandiosity in claiming "best" products, seeking external validation via "great feedback"), and immature defense mechanisms (splitting, idealization). Authorship likely involves professional social media management given business-hours timing and clean formatting, though voice remains Trump-authentic. The protagonist role is Successful Businessman-Brand, offering followers a purchasable pathway to success. Rhetorically, the post employs standard advertising techniques—bandwagon appeals, superlatives, exclusivity positioning—but gains political significance through contextual juxtaposition. No cognitive concerns, danger indicators, or clinical pathology detected. The pattern represents stable personality architecture: success defined materially and externally, relationships as commercial transactions, and identity constructed through contrast with designated failures. Clinically significant not in isolation but as illustration of core Trump psychology—the fusion of commercial brand, political messaging, and personal identity into a single "Success" narrative positioning him as antidote to Obamian failure.

# Psychological Analysis: Trump Tweet - September 13, 2012  ## Context  **Timestamp Analysis:** Posted at 23:49:36 UTC (7:49 PM EDT) on September 13, 2012. Trump was likely in New York, making this early evening Eastern time - standard business hours.  **Historical Context:** This post occurred during a critical period of the 2012 presidential campaign. Two days earlier (September 11, 2012), the Benghazi attack killed four Americans including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. On September 13, President Obama gave a speech in Colorado addressing the attack. The incident became intensely politicized, with Romney accused of exploiting the tragedy for political gain. Trump's previous posts that same day aggressively attacked Obama on poverty, deficit spending, and compared him unfavorably to Jimmy Carter.  **Product Context:** Trump's "Success" cologne launched in April 2012 through Perfumania/Five Star Fragrance Company, exclusively sold at Macy's. Reviews described it as smelling "like soap" and comparable to "2 drug store body wash."  ## Level 1: Dispositional Traits (Big Five)  **Extraversion: Very High (Facets: Assertiveness, Self-Promotion)** - Active self-promotion and brand-building behavior - Soliciting and reporting external validation ("I keep getting great feedback") - Direct engagement with commercial audience through social media  **Agreeableness: Low (Facets: Modesty [inverse])** - Unabashed self-promotion without hedging or humility - Claims of superiority ("best shirts & ties") - No acknowledgment of potential criticism or alternative products  **Conscientiousness: Moderate-High (Facet: Achievement Striving, Commercial)** - Consistent brand promotion across product lines - Strategic use of platform for commercial gain - Integration of business promotion with political messaging  **Neuroticism: Low (in this post)** - Calm, controlled promotional tone - No anxiety, hostility, or reactivity evident - Stark contrast to politically-charged posts from same day  **Openness: Low (Facet: Values - Commercial/Materialistic)** - Focus on material success symbols (cologne, shirts, ties) - Product named "Success" embodies materialistic value system - No intellectual, aesthetic, or abstract content  ## Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations  **Dominant Motives:**  *Agency Motives (Very High):* - **Status display:** Cologne, shirts, ties as symbols of success and affluence - **Brand expansion:** Leveraging fame for commercial empire-building - **Control:** Managing personal brand narrative through direct consumer engagement  *Communion Motives (Low):* - No relational content; purely transactional - Audience treated as consumers, not community - No intimacy, care, or belonging themes  **Schemas Revealed:**  *Self-schema:*  - Self-as-brand: Identity inseparable from commercial products - Success defined materially: Clothing and fragrances as success markers - Validation-seeking: "Great feedback" suggests external approval matters despite grandiose presentation  *Others-schema:* - Others as consumers and validators - Relationship is commercial transaction - Audience exists to purchase and provide positive feedback  *World-schema:* - Marketplace as primary arena for status competition - Success is visible, purchasable, and externally validated - Commercial success as proof of personal worth  ## Level 3: Narrative Identity  **Protagonist Role:** **The Successful Businessman-Brand** - Trump casts himself as embodiment of commercial success - The product literally named "Success" creates identity-product fusion - He is simultaneously entrepreneur, product, and lifestyle symbol  **Narrative Sequence:** **Redemption (Implied)** - The context of "keep getting great feedback" suggests initial uncertainty now resolved - Pattern: Product launch → Market validation → Triumph - No contamination present; purely positive trajectory claimed  **Identity Claims:** - "I create products people love" (implicit in feedback claim) - "I represent success" (explicit in product naming) - "I have the best products" (comparative superiority claim)  **Contrasting Other:** - Implicit: Competitors with inferior colognes, shirts, ties - Subtle political contrast: While Obama presides over poverty/deficit (per earlier tweets), Trump offers "Success"  **Symbolic Meaning:** The juxtaposition is psychologically revealing: On the same day Trump attacks Obama for economic failure, poverty, and deficit spending, he promotes a product literally called "Success." The contrast constructs a binary: Obama = failure/poverty; Trump = Success/prosperity. The personal brand becomes political commentary.  ## Level 4: Clinical Indicators  ### 1. Malignant Narcissism Assessment  **A. Narcissistic Personality Features: MODERATE**  Present: - *Grandiosity:* Claims of having "best" shirts and ties (superlative without evidence) - *Need for admiration:* "I keep getting great feedback" - soliciting and reporting external validation - *Sense of entitlement:* Implicit assumption that audience should care about his commercial products  Absent/Low: - No overt exploitation in this post - No direct devaluation of others - Relatively contained self-promotion for commercial context  **Confidence: Medium** - This is standard celebrity brand promotion, though the lack of modesty and superlative claims align with narcissistic self-presentation.  **B. Antisocial Features: ABSENT** - No deception, rule-breaking, or disregard for others evident - Standard commercial promotion  **C. Paranoid Features: ABSENT** - No suspiciousness, persecution themes, or counterattack - Positive, promotional tone  **D. Ego-Syntonic Sadism: ABSENT** - No cruelty, humiliation, or pleasure in others' suffering  **Overall Malignant Narcissism Rating: LOW** - This post shows narcissistic self-promotion but lacks the antisocial, paranoid, and sadistic elements of malignant narcissism.  ### 2. Narcissistic Dynamics  **Trigger: Supply-Seeking (Maintenance)** - This is routine narcissistic supply gathering through commercial validation - Not reactive to injury; proactive supply generation - The "great feedback" serves as narcissistic fuel  **Narcissistic State: Grandiose (Mild)** - Positive self-presentation - Seeking admiration through commercial success - No vulnerability or victimization present  **Narcissistic Rage: ABSENT** - No rage evident - Calm, promotional tone  **Proportionality: N/A**  ### 3. Defense Mechanisms  **Idealization (Immature - Level 2):** - Self-idealization through product association - "Success" cologne, "best" shirts - all-good splitting applied to self and products  **Rationalization (Neurotic - Level 3):** - "Great feedback" provides external justification for self-promotion - Converts commercial self-interest into customer service ("people want to know")  **Confidence: Medium** - These are relatively healthy defenses for commercial self-promotion context.  ### 4. Cognitive Status Markers  **Language Production:** - No word-finding difficulty - No paraphasias or neologisms - Minor grammatical issue: "&" HTML entity instead of "&" suggests copy-paste from formatted text or character encoding issue (technical, not cognitive)  **Content:** - Coherent, goal-directed - Appropriate to commercial context - No confabulation or temporal confusion  **Complexity:** - Simple sentence structure, appropriate for promotional tweet - Vocabulary straightforward and accessible - Logical coherence maintained  **Baseline Comparison:** Consistent with Trump's established communication style in business promotion contexts. No deviation detected.  **Assessment: NO COGNITIVE CONCERNS** - Language production normal for context and medium.  ### 5. Authorship Attribution  **Timing Analysis:** - Posted 7:49 PM EDT (New York time, assuming NYC location) - Early evening, within business hours - NOT characteristic late-night/early morning timing  **Style Indicators:**  *Aide (Scavino) Indicators Present:* - Business hours timing - Clean formatting and grammar - Product promotion with proper brand tagging (@Macy's) - Professional commercial tone - Coordinated marketing message  *Authentic Trump Indicators Present:* - Superlative language ("best shirts & ties") - Exclamation-free but characteristically self-promotional - First-person voice ("I keep getting") - Casual style ("And best shirts & ties" - informal conjunction start)  **Technical Issue:** - "&" instead of "&" suggests copy from HTML source or formatting issue, possibly indicating professional social media management  **Assessment: LIKELY AIDE-WRITTEN OR PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED (60-70% confidence)**  **Reasoning:** The business-hours timing, clean formatting, proper brand tagging, and coordinated product promotion suggest professional social media management. However, the voice and superlative style are Trump-authentic. Most likely scenario: Marketing team drafted or scheduled the post with Trump's input/approval, or Trump dictated and team formatted/posted. This is business Trump, not reactive political Trump.  **Confidence: MEDIUM** - Voice sounds like Trump, but execution suggests professional management.  ### 6. Rhetorical & Propaganda Techniques  **Techniques Employed:**  1. **Bandwagon Effect:** "I keep getting great feedback" - implies others approve, you should too 2. **Testimonial (Indirect):** Appeals to unnamed validators who provide "great feedback" 3. **Superlatives:** "Best shirts & ties" - unqualified superiority claim 4. **Brand Association:** Linking personal brand (TRUMP) to abstract success concept 5. **Exclusivity Appeal:** "Exclusively available at @Macy's" - scarcity/prestige positioning 6. **Hashtag Branding:** #TRUMP converts name into searchable brand marker  **Propaganda Classification:** Commercial persuasion techniques, not political propaganda. Standard advertising psychology.  **Dehumanizing Language: ABSENT**  **Violent Imagery: ABSENT**  ### 7. Gaslighting & Reality Distortion  **Assessment: MINIMAL**  **Potential Distortion:** - "Great feedback" is unverifiable and likely selective reporting (confirmation bias) - "Best shirts & ties" is subjective opinion presented as fact - No objective standard for "best" provided  **However:** These are standard advertising exaggerations (puffery), legally and socially acceptable in commercial contexts. Not gaslighting in clinical sense.  **Confidence: HIGH** - This is commercial puffery, not reality distortion.  ### 8. Shared Psychosis Dynamics  **Assessment: NOT APPLICABLE**  This is commercial promotion, not reality distortion requiring follower buy-in. No epistemic closure or loyalty testing present.  ### 9. Archetypal Analysis  **Primary Archetype: THE KING (Benevolent Provider)** - Offers products that bring "Success" to followers - Positioned as source of prosperity and achievement - Generous sharing of success pathway (buy my products)  **Secondary Archetype: THE MERCHANT/TRICKSTER (Mild)** - Commercial transaction at core - Selling aspirational identity - The product promises transformation (you can have "Success")  **Shadow Projection:** - Minimal in this post - Implicit: Those who don't buy = those who don't value success - Contrast with same-day Obama attacks: Obama = poverty/failure; Trump products = Success  **Mythological Narrative:** - **Alchemical transformation:** Purchase product → Acquire success - **Sympathetic magic:** Wearing Trump's success symbols transfers his success to you - Classic American Dream narrative: Success is achievable and purchasable  ### 10. Order and Chaos Dynamics  **Positioning: ORDER PROVIDER (Commercial)** - Not political order/chaos in this post - Commercial order: Provides clear pathway to success (buy products) - Certainty in chaotic world: Success can be purchased  **Asymmetric Application:** - Order (success) available to those who buy Trump products - Implicit chaos: Life without these markers of success  **Grievance Mapping: ABSENT** - No grievance articulated - Positive, promotional frame  **Hierarchy Dynamics:** - **Defending hierarchy:** Success symbols maintain status differentiation - Those who can afford/choose Trump products = higher status - Commercial products as hierarchy markers  ### 11. Danger Assessment  **Danger Level: NONE**  **Rationale:** - Commercial promotion - No eliminationist language - No dehumanization - No targets identified for hostility - No mobilization calls - No violence-adjacent rhetoric  **Confidence: HIGH**  ### 12. Fact Verification  **Claim 1:** "I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne 'Success'"  **Verification:**  - Trump Success cologne was indeed launched in 2012 by Five Star Fragrance Company - "Great feedback" is subjective and unverifiable - Bloomberg's review (April 2012) described it as smelling "like soap" and comparable to "2 drug store body wash" - No access to sales data or customer reviews from September 2012  **Verdict:** HALF TRUE - Product exists: TRUE - Feedback characterization: UNVERIFIABLE (selective reporting likely)  **Claim 2:** "Exclusively available at @Macy's"  **Verification:** - Initial launch was through Macy's as exclusive retailer - This appears accurate for September 2012 timeframe  **Verdict:** LIKELY TRUE (for launch period)  **Claim 3:** "Best shirts & ties"  **Verdict:** UNVERIFIABLE OPINION - Subjective quality claim - No objective standard provided - Standard advertising puffery  ## Psychological Integration & Longitudinal Context  ### Same-Day Pattern Analysis  **Critical Observation:** This post must be understood in context of Trump's same-day political tweets:  1. **9/13 Political Tweet 1:** "Welcome to Obama's America--record high poverty and an 8% drop in median household family income" 2. **9/13 Political Tweet 2:** "Congratulations to Obama and the @DNC. The federal deficit has topped T for a fourth year in a row" 3. **9/13 Commercial Tweet:** "I keep getting great feedback on new #TRUMP cologne 'Success'"  **The Psychological Pattern:**  This represents **compartmentalized identity management** with **symbolic coding**:  - **Political Self:** Attacks Obama for poverty and economic failure - **Commercial Self:** Simultaneously promotes product literally named "Success" - **Symbolic Message:** I embody the success Obama's policies destroy  **Defense Mechanism: Splitting (Immature)** - Obama = All Bad (poverty, failure, deficit) - Trump = All Good (Success, prosperity, quality) - No integration or nuance  **Narrative Construction:** The juxtaposition is not accidental. By attacking Obama's economic record while promoting a "Success" product, Trump constructs himself as the antidote to Obama's failures. This is **identity as counter-narrative**: While Obama presides over poverty, Trump offers Success (literally, for 5 at Macy's).  ### Personality Consistency  This post demonstrates Trump's **core personality architecture**:  1. **Commercial Identity as Primary:** Even during intense political period (2012 campaign, Benghazi crisis), business promotion continues 2. **Success as Central Value:** The product name reveals core belief that success is:    - Visible and external    - Materially embodied    - Purchasable/transferable    - Masculine and status-conferring  3. **Transactional Worldview:** Relationships with followers are commercial transactions; they buy products, he provides success symbols  ### Clinical Significance  **This post is NOT clinically significant in isolation.** It represents: - Standard celebrity brand promotion - Narcissistic self-presentation within normal range for celebrity/business context - No acute distress, cognitive impairment, or dangerous rhetoric  **However, in longitudinal context, it reveals:** - Persistent grandiosity (claiming "best" without evidence) - Need for external validation ("great feedback") - Material success as core identity - Splitting defense (good/bad, success/failure binaries)  These are stable personality features, not acute symptoms.  ## Summary  This commercial promotional tweet, posted during the heated 2012 presidential campaign and Benghazi crisis, reveals Trump's compartmentalized identity management and core value system. While attacking Obama for poverty and economic failure in adjacent tweets, Trump promotes a cologne literally named "Success," creating a symbolic binary: Obama = failure, Trump = Success incarnate. The post demonstrates high extraversion (self-promotion), low agreeableness (unmodulated superiority claims), and agency motives focused on status and brand expansion. Narcissistic features are moderate—grandiosity in claiming "best" products and seeking external validation ("great feedback")—but within normal range for celebrity business promotion. The archetypal pattern is King/Provider offering prosperity to followers through commercial transaction. Defense mechanisms include idealization of self/products and splitting (all-good Trump vs. all-bad Obama). Authorship likely involves professional social media management given business-hours timing and clean formatting, though voice remains Trump-authentic. No cognitive concerns, danger indicators, or gaslighting detected. Clinically, this represents stable grandiose narcissistic traits in commercial context rather than acute pathology. The post exemplifies Trump's transactional worldview: success is material, visible, purchasable, and he is both the source and embodiment of it.  ---  ## Sources  - [2012 Benghazi attack - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack) - [CNN Fact Check: Obama described Benghazi as 'acts of terror'](https://www.cnn.com/2012/10/17/politics/fact-check-terror) - [Donald Trump's 'Success' Cologne Gets the Smell Test - Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-04-19/donald-trumps-success-cologne-gets-the-smell-test) - [Success by Trump Donald Trump • 2012 - Basenotes](https://basenotes.com/fragrances/success-by-trump-by-donald-trump.26134629) - [Romney repeats sharp criticism of Obama after Benghazi - Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/romney-repeats-sharp-criticism-of-obama-on-libya-egypt-attacks/2012/09/12/31074af4-fcdf-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_story.html)

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "New #TRUMP cologne 'Success' available" | **True** | Success by Trump cologne was launched in April 2012 by Five Star Fragrance Company, sold exclusively at Macy's during launch period |
| "I keep getting great feedback" | **Unverifiable** | Subjective characterization without verifiable data. Bloomberg review from April 2012 was mixed, describing scent as 'like soap' and comparable to 'drugstore body wash.' Likely selective reporting of positive feedback only. |
| "Exclusively available at Macy's" | **Mostly True** | During initial 2012 launch period, Success cologne was sold exclusively through Macy's. Later expanded to other retailers. |
| "Best shirts & ties" | **Unverifiable** | Subjective quality claim without objective standard or comparative data. Standard advertising puffery. |

Overall Veracity: 70%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 35%)

### Indicators

- Business hours timing (7:49 PM EDT) - not characteristic late night/early morning
- Clean formatting and proper brand tagging (@Macy's)
- Professional product promotion structure
- HTML entity '&' instead of '&' suggests copy-paste from formatted source
- Coordinated marketing message with proper hashtag use

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Supply Seeking

Sentiment: +0.75

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 50%
- Antisocial: 0%
- Paranoid: 0%
- Sadism: 0%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- idealization (immature)
- rationalization (neurotic)
- splitting (immature)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 85%

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Bandwagon effect: 'I keep getting great feedback' implies social proof
- Indirect testimonial: Appeals to unnamed validators
- Exclusivity and access: 'Exclusively available at Macy's' creates in-group feeling
- Direct address through social media creates artificial intimacy
- Sharing 'success' pathway with followers (buy products) positions Trump as generous provider

## Fact Checks (4)

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

> New #TRUMP cologne 'Success' available

**TRUE**

Success by Trump cologne was launched in April 2012 by Five Star Fragrance Company, sold exclusively at Macy's during launch period

Sources: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-04-19/donald-trumps-success-cologne-gets-the-smell-test; https://basenotes.com/fragrances/success-by-trump-by-donald-trump.26134629

> I keep getting great feedback

**UNVERIFIABLE**

Subjective characterization without verifiable data. Bloomberg review from April 2012 was mixed, describing scent as 'like soap' and comparable to 'drugstore body wash.' Likely selective reporting of positive feedback only.

Sources: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-04-19/donald-trumps-success-cologne-gets-the-smell-test

> Exclusively available at Macy's

**MOSTLY TRUE**

During initial 2012 launch period, Success cologne was sold exclusively through Macy's. Later expanded to other retailers.

Sources: https://www.fragrancex.com/products/donald-trump/success-cologne

> Best shirts & ties

**UNVERIFIABLE**

Subjective quality claim without objective standard or comparative data. Standard advertising puffery.

Overall Veracity: 70%

## Tags

- commercial_promotion (100%)
- narcissistic_supply_seeking (70%)
- grandiose_state (60%)
- splitting_defense (75%)
- material_success_values (90%)
- brand_building (100%)
- status_motive (90%)
- transactional_worldview (80%)
- political_symbolism (60%)
- compartmentalization (80%)
- king_archetype (50%)

## 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_246334835558342660
- 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_246334835558342660. 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_246334835558342660.

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