# Post x_260773314291720192

- Post ID: `x_260773314291720192`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2012-10-23T16:02:57.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_260773314291720192
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_260773314291720192/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_260773314291720192.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> When the military informed Obama that they had Bin Laden, is there anyone with a brain that would not have said "Ok, go get him"?

## Engagement

- Likes: 250
- Reposts: 879
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.263Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-22T08:53:23.998Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

# Analysis: Devaluation of Obama's Bin Laden Decision

## Overview
A mid-day tweet from October 23, 2012—two weeks before the presidential election—that systematically diminishes Obama's most celebrated national security accomplishment by reframing it as a trivially obvious decision.

## Psychological Dynamics
The core mechanism is **devaluation**: by asserting that literally anyone "with a brain" would have made the same call, Trump strips Obama of any credit for courage, judgment, or leadership. This is consistent with a pattern of supply-denial—refusing to allow a rival (especially one in a position Trump covets) to receive admiration.

The framing also contains an implicit self-comparison: *I would have done the same thing, so it's nothing special.* This positions Trump as at minimum Obama's equal without needing to claim any specific credential.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "The military informed Obama they had located bin Laden and he gave the order" | **Half True** | The decision involved months of deliberation, incomplete intelligence (only ~50-60% confidence it was bin Laden), significant diplomatic risk with Pakistan, and alternative options including bombing. Multiple advisors were divided. It was not a simple 'go get him' moment. |

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Longitudinal Context
Same-day posts show Trump in political commentary mode: analyzing the election, praising Axelrod's skill, commenting on Lance Armstrong. The pattern is consistent with an engaged political observer positioning himself as an authority—a pre-political-career mode of building public credibility on political matters.

## Election Context
With the Oct 22 foreign policy debate fresh (the night before), Obama's bin Laden decision was a major talking point. This tweet is a direct counter-narrative effort.

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 70%)

### Indicators

- business hours (12:02 PM ET)
- complete sentence
- rhetorical question format
- no typos

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Comparison (Obama receiving credit/admiration for bin Laden raid)

Sentiment: -0.40

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 30%
- Antisocial: 10%
- Paranoid: 10%
- Sadism: 10%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- devaluation (immature)
- rationalization (neurotic)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 50%

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- rhetorical question inviting audience agreement
- implied shared common sense

## Fact Checks (1)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-03-22._

> The military informed Obama they had located bin Laden and he gave the order

**HALF TRUE**

The decision involved months of deliberation, incomplete intelligence (only ~50-60% confidence it was bin Laden), significant diplomatic risk with Pakistan, and alternative options including bombing. Multiple advisors were divided. It was not a simple 'go get him' moment.

Sources: public reporting on bin Laden raid decision-making

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Tags

- devaluation (80%)
- Obama (90%)
- 2012_election (70%)
- minimization (80%)

## That day

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

**Debate Night Aftermath: Trump Positions Himself as Shadow Strategist While Teasing Birther Sequel**

Trump spent the day dissecting the final presidential debate, repeatedly arguing that Obama deserves no credit for the Bin Laden raid and that the military should get all the praise. He scattered commentary across several unrelated topics — Lance Armstrong's doping scandal, Robert Pattinson's love life, Chinese economic growth — while teasing a mysterious "big announcement" planned for the next day. A brief flash of anger erupted when he attacked the BBC over a documentary critical of his Scottish golf course, calling it "garbage" and declaring the network "lost." The day's throughline was grandiose self-positioning: Trump as debate analyst, relationship counselor, geopolitical strategist, and patriotic truth-teller, all at once.

Full digest for 2012-10-23: https://trump.fm/date/2012-10-23/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2012, October 23). When the military informed Obama that they had... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_260773314291720192
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "When the military informed Obama that they had Bin Laden,..." X (Twitter), 23 Oct. 2012. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_260773314291720192. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "When the military informed Obama that they had Bin Laden,...," X (Twitter), October 23, 2012, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_260773314291720192.

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