# Post x_843813078076719107

- Post ID: `x_843813078076719107`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-03-20T13:14:49.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_843813078076719107
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_843813078076719107/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_843813078076719107.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look?

## Engagement

- Likes: 82,212
- Reposts: 21,762
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.391Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T10:34:18.371Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## Psychological Analysis: Whataboutism Deflection During FBI Investigation Confirmation

### Context
Posted March 20, 2017 at 8:14 AM ET (Trump likely at White House). This is one of a rapid series of posts on the same morning that FBI Director Comey publicly confirmed the Trump-Russia investigation before Congress. This post deploys classic deflection toward Clinton.

### Key Observations

**Rhetorical Strategy:** Two rhetorical questions in sequence — the first is pure whataboutism ("What about Clinton?"), the second plants a conspiratorial seed about the DNC refusing FBI access to its servers. Neither question engages with the substance of the FBI investigation into his own campaign.

**Defensive Pattern:** The post is entirely externally directed. Rather than addressing the confirmed investigation, it redirects attention to the opponent. The use of questions rather than assertions provides plausible deniability ("I'm just asking").

**Longitudinal Pattern:** This post fits within a clear five-post sequence on March 20, all responding to the Comey testimony: (1) cite Clapper denying collusion, (2) blame Democrats for inventing the story, (3) redirect to leaks, (4) THIS POST — redirect to Clinton, (5) attack CNN polls. This is a textbook firehose response — multiple competing counter-narratives deployed simultaneously.

**DNC Server Claim:** The claim that the DNC "would not let the FBI in to look" is a mostly-true but misleading framing. The DNC provided forensic copies via CrowdStrike rather than giving direct FBI access to physical servers — a distinction Trump's framing elides.

### Authorship
8:14 AM ET is early but within waking hours. The style — rhetorical questions, no caps, no typos — could be either Trump or aide. The reactive content and combative framing suggest authentic Trump, but the relatively measured tone introduces some uncertainty.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "The DNC would not let the FBI in to look" | **Half True** | The DNC did not grant the FBI direct physical access to its servers, instead providing forensic images via CrowdStrike. FBI officials later said this was adequate for investigation, though former Director Comey noted he would have preferred direct access. |

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 65%)

### Indicators

- Reactive to breaking news
- Rhetorical question format
- No typos or caps
- Early morning but not extreme
- Combative content

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Vulnerable State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (FBI Director Comey confirming Trump-Russia investigation)

Sentiment: -0.40

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Part of rapid five-post barrage on single morning

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 40%
- Antisocial: 30%
- Paranoid: 40%
- Sadism: 10%

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

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- rhetorical questions inviting audience agreement
- implying shared knowledge of hidden truth

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Implying Clinton-Russia contact is the 'real' story while FBI investigation of his own campaign is confirmed
- Reframing DNC as hiding evidence when they provided forensic copies

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> The DNC would not let the FBI in to look

**HALF TRUE**

The DNC did not grant the FBI direct physical access to its servers, instead providing forensic images via CrowdStrike. FBI officials later said this was adequate for investigation, though former Director Comey noted he would have preferred direct access.

Sources: FBI Director Comey Senate testimony 2017; CrowdStrike forensic analysis reports

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Tags

- whataboutism (90%)
- russia-investigation (80%)
- clinton-deflection (80%)
- comey-testimony-response (90%)

## That day

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

**Comey Confirms Russia Probe; Trump Launches Morning Denial Barrage Before Fleeing to Rally**

Trump spent the morning in a sustained defensive burst after FBI Director Comey publicly confirmed the Trump-Russia investigation for the first time. Six posts in roughly four hours denied the investigation's legitimacy, blamed Democrats, attacked CNN, and demanded leak investigations instead. The tone shifted in the afternoon with a congratulatory family post before he headed to Louisville for a rally, seemingly seeking the crowd energy to close out a difficult day.

Full digest for 2017-03-20: https://trump.fm/date/2017-03-20/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, March 20). What about all of the contact with the Clinton... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_843813078076719107
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and..." X (Twitter), 20 Mar. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_843813078076719107. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and...," X (Twitter), March 20, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_843813078076719107.

## For agents

- Site overview: https://trump.fm/llms.txt
- API specification: https://trump.fm/openapi.json
- MCP server: https://trump.fm/mcp (search and fetch tools, no auth)
- This post as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/posts/x_843813078076719107
- Analysis as JSON: https://trump.fm/api/analysis/x_843813078076719107
- All citation formats: https://trump.fm/api/cite/x_843813078076719107
- Same day: https://trump.fm/date/2017-03-20
- The record alone, without the analysis: https://trump.fm/post/x_843813078076719107.md?analysis=false

_Markdown view of a trump.fm page. Post, analysis, date, feed, contradictions, search and about pages answer in markdown at their URL with `.md` appended (`/index.md` for the home page), or when sent `Accept: text/markdown`._