# Post x_808301935728230404

- Post ID: `x_808301935728230404`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2016-12-12T13:26:13.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_808301935728230404
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_808301935728230404/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_808301935728230404.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.

## Engagement

- Likes: 60,204
- Reposts: 16,338
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.370Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T07:15:07.128Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## Analysis: F-35 Cost Post (Dec 12, 2016)

**Timestamp:** 8:26 AM EST (Trump was in New York during transition period). Business hours posting.

This is a relatively straightforward policy-signaling post about military procurement costs. It combines critique of existing programs with a promise of personal intervention after inauguration.

### Authorship
The post is grammatically correct and policy-focused, consistent with aide drafting or a calm, deliberate Trump. The business-hours timing and clean formatting lean toward aide involvement, though the content — asserting personal control over billions in spending — is quintessentially Trump in substance. The parenthetical "(and other)" has a Trumpian quality. Mixed signals; likely lightly edited or dictated.

### Psychological Dimensions
The post positions Trump as the incoming authority who will personally fix wasteful spending. This is classic grandiose self-presentation: one man will save "billions of dollars." The F-35 program was a well-known cost overrun target, making this a relatively safe critique that signals competence and control.

### Rhetorical Techniques
- Hyperbole ("billions of dollars")
- Implicit contrast (current incompetent management vs. his future competence)
- Date-anchoring ("after January 20th") — countdown to power

### Context
This post notably moved Lockheed Martin's stock price, demonstrating Trump's emerging understanding of how presidential social media could function as market-moving power. This pattern of targeting specific companies on social media was novel for an incoming president.

### Longitudinal Note
Adjacent posts show Trump simultaneously managing the Russia/CIA narrative, media criticism, and cabinet picks. This F-35 post serves as a palette cleanser — projecting competence amid more defensive posturing on other topics.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "The F-35 program cost is out of control" | **Mostly True** | The F-35 program was the most expensive weapons system in history, with well-documented cost overruns exceeding $160B over original estimates by 2016. GAO and Pentagon reports confirmed significant cost and schedule problems. |
| "Billions of dollars can be saved on military purchases" | **Unverifiable** | A forward-looking promise with no specifics. While procurement reform could yield savings, the magnitude claimed is unsubstantiated at this point. |

Overall Veracity: 65%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 40%)

### Indicators

- Business hours (8:26 AM EST)
- Clean grammar and punctuation
- Policy-focused content
- Parenthetical aside '(and other)' has Trumpian quality
- Substance is characteristically Trump even if formatting is polished

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Supply Seeking (transition period self-positioning)

Sentiment: -0.20

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 50%
- Antisocial: 10%
- Paranoid: 0%
- Sadism: 0%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- idealization (immature)
- devaluation (immature)

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- savior positioning
- countdown to power

## Fact Checks (2)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-03-11._

> The F-35 program cost is out of control

**MOSTLY TRUE**

The F-35 program was the most expensive weapons system in history, with well-documented cost overruns exceeding $160B over original estimates by 2016. GAO and Pentagon reports confirmed significant cost and schedule problems.

Sources: GAO reports on F-35 program; DoD Selected Acquisition Reports

> Billions of dollars can be saved on military purchases

**UNVERIFIABLE**

A forward-looking promise with no specifics. While procurement reform could yield savings, the magnitude claimed is unsubstantiated at this point.

Overall Veracity: 65%

## Tags

- military-procurement (80%)
- grandiose-promise (60%)
- market-moving (70%)
- transition-period (50%)

## That day

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

**President-Elect Launches First Volleys in What Will Become the "Russia Hoax" Narrative**

Trump spent the morning pushing back hard against CIA findings of Russian election interference, dismissing them as a political double standard and questioning whether hackers can even be identified. The defensive burst was brief — sandwiched between routine self-promotion in the evening before and a victory lap over the completed Wisconsin recount afterward. The day's most consequential posts were the Russia-related ones, which planted seeds for a narrative that would define his entire first term.

Full digest for 2016-12-12: https://trump.fm/date/2016-12-12/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2016, December 12). The F-35 program and cost is out of control.... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_808301935728230404
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of..." X (Twitter), 12 Dec. 2016. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_808301935728230404. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of...," X (Twitter), December 12, 2016, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_808301935728230404.

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