# Post x_832197515248275456

- Post ID: `x_832197515248275456`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-02-16T11:58:43.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_832197515248275456
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_832197515248275456/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_832197515248275456.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a big problem in Washington for years. Failing @nytimes (and others) must apologize!

## Engagement

- Likes: 89,827
- Reposts: 17,274
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.391Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T09:56:13.055Z (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 early-morning post represents a textbook deflection response to narcissistic injury. Coming one day after Michael Flynn's forced resignation — an embarrassing early failure for the Trump administration — the post reframes the narrative from "my National Security Advisor deceived the Vice President about contacts with Russia" to "leakers and media are the real villains." The demand that the NYT apologize for accurate reporting constitutes a mild DARVO pattern (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender). The psychological function is clear: externalize blame, preserve grandiose self-image, and delegitimize the institutions performing oversight. The displacement defense is notable — anger that should logically be directed at Flynn for his deception is instead redirected at those who exposed it. This post is an early example in what would become a sustained campaign to frame intelligence community leaks and press reporting as existential threats, gradually escalating the "enemy of the people" narrative. While not dangerous in isolation, it contributes to an anti-institutional trajectory worth tracking longitudinally.

## Psychological Analysis: Post x_832197515248275456

### Context
Posted February 16, 2017 at 11:58 UTC. Trump was in Washington (meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu that day). Local time: ~6:58 AM EST — early morning, consistent with authentic Trump posting pattern.

This post comes one day after Michael Flynn's resignation as NSA, amid widespread reporting on intelligence community leaks revealing Flynn's contacts with Russian ambassador Kislyak. The post represents a classic deflection: rather than addressing the substance of the leaks (Flynn's deception), Trump attacks the messenger.

### Authorship
Early morning timing, emotional tone, direct attack on media, and the somewhat awkward construction "even illegal classified leaking" all point to authentic Trump. The demand that NYT "must apologize!" is characteristic impulsive overreach.

### Psychological Dynamics
The Flynn resignation constituted a significant narcissistic injury — an early, public failure of his administration. The post deploys **externalization** and **displacement**: the problem isn't that his NSA lied; the problem is that people found out. This reframing from content to process is a hallmark defense.

The demand for apology from the NYT reveals entitled expectation that media should serve rather than scrutinize. The parenthetical "(and others)" broadens the target, characteristic of paranoid-spectrum thinking where threats multiply.

### Rhetorical Analysis
"Failing @nytimes" — established devaluation branding. "Big problem in Washington for years" — normalizes the leak issue and diffuses blame away from his administration specifically. The word "even" before "illegal classified leaking" creates a scalar framing suggesting all leaking is bad but classified leaking is worse, conflating routine press sourcing with espionage.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Leaking has been a big problem in Washington for years" | **Mostly True** | Leaks are a perennial issue in Washington, though Trump's framing elides the distinction between routine sourcing and classified leaks, and the specific leaks here exposed genuine misconduct. |
| "NYT (and others) must apologize" | **False** | NYT reporting on Flynn-Kislyak contacts proved accurate. Flynn did mislead Pence and did discuss sanctions. No factual basis for demanding apology. |

Overall Veracity: 40%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 85%)

### Indicators

- Early morning posting (6:58 AM EST)
- Emotional/reactive tone
- Awkward phrasing 'even illegal classified leaking'
- Imperative demand 'must apologize!'
- Trademark 'Failing @nytimes' branding

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Mixed State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Flynn resignation and intelligence community leaks exposing administration failures)

**Rage:** Intensity 50% targeting NYT and media generally
- Proportionality: 30%

Sentiment: -0.55

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 60%
- Antisocial: 30%
- Paranoid: 50%
- Sadism: 10%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- displacement (neurotic)
- projection (immature)
- denial (pathological)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 30%

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Framing shared grievance against media
- Positioning self as victim of unfair leaks

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Reframes accurate reporting as the wrongdoing rather than the conduct reported on
- Demands apology from journalists whose reporting proved correct
- Implicit DARVO: positions himself as victim when his appointee was the offender

## Fact Checks (2)

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

> Leaking has been a big problem in Washington for years

**MOSTLY TRUE**

Leaks are a perennial issue in Washington, though Trump's framing elides the distinction between routine sourcing and classified leaks, and the specific leaks here exposed genuine misconduct.

> NYT (and others) must apologize

**FALSE**

NYT reporting on Flynn-Kislyak contacts proved accurate. Flynn did mislead Pence and did discuss sanctions. No factual basis for demanding apology.

Overall Veracity: 40%

## Tags

- media_attack (80%)
- deflection (90%)
- flynn_fallout (90%)
- leaks (80%)

## That day

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

**Flynn Fallout Drives Morning Rage Spiral as Trump Criminalizes the Messenger**

Trump's day was dominated by fallout from Michael Flynn's resignation three days earlier, with a burst of angry early-morning posts targeting leakers and the press rather than addressing the underlying Russia contacts. The morning started with a stock market boast but quickly turned defensive, with four consecutive posts attacking media, threatening intelligence community leakers, and dismissing the Russia story as a Democratic fabrication. The day bookended with calmer diplomatic and policy content, but the emotional center of gravity was clearly the Flynn wound — and the administration's visible struggle to regain its footing after Robert Harward also rejected the open National Security Advisor position.

Full digest for 2017-02-16: https://trump.fm/date/2017-02-16/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, February 16). Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_832197515248275456
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a..." X (Twitter), 16 Feb. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_832197515248275456. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a...," X (Twitter), February 16, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_832197515248275456.

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