# Post x_853945633903923200

- Post ID: `x_853945633903923200`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-04-17T12:17:59.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_853945633903923200
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_853945633903923200/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_853945633903923200.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The Fake Media (not Real Media) has gotten even worse since the election. Every story is badly slanted. We have to hold them to the truth!

## Engagement

- Likes: 83,488
- Reposts: 18,607
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.390Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T11:33:24.598Z (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 post exemplifies Trump's systematic delegitimization of the free press as an institution, escalating from attacking specific stories to branding the entire mainstream media as "Fake Media." The parenthetical "(not Real Media)" is a notable rhetorical innovation — creating a binary between approved and unapproved information sources, a hallmark epistemic closure technique. Posted amid Tax Day protest coverage demanding his tax returns, the attack on media functions as displacement from the specific vulnerability (financial transparency) to generalized media dishonesty. The totalizing claim "every story is badly slanted" leaves no conceptual space for legitimate journalism, while the collective "we have to hold them" constructs a parasocial alliance between Trump and followers against the press. This post is part of a broader pattern visible in the day's tweets: dismissing protesters as paid, attacking media for covering Republican electoral struggles, and quoting Fox News praise. The danger rating is elevated not for immediate violence risk but for the cumulative democratic harm of systematically undermining public trust in independent journalism — a pattern that, sustained over time, erodes the epistemic foundations necessary for democratic accountability.

## Psychological Analysis: "The Fake Media" Post (April 17, 2017)

### Context
Posted at 12:17 UTC on April 17, 2017. Trump was at the White House for the Easter Egg Roll. Local time: ~8:17 AM EDT — early morning but within business hours. This falls in a cluster of morning tweets attacking media and Democrats.

### Authorship
The post has a hybrid quality. The coinage "Fake Media (not Real Media)" has Trump's characteristic wordplay and parenthetical clarification style. The final sentence ("We have to hold them to the truth!") is slightly more polished than typical raw Trump. The emotional content and media-attack theme are quintessentially his. Likely authentic, possibly lightly cleaned up.

### Psychological Dynamics
This post continues a pattern visible across the day's tweets: systematic grievance against media, protesters, and political opponents. The Tax Day protests demanding his tax returns likely function as a narcissistic injury — public challenge to his legitimacy and transparency. The media attack is a displacement from the specific tax return issue to generalized media dishonesty.

### Key Rhetorical Move
The parenthetical "(not Real Media)" is a neologism-adjacent branding move — redefining the entire mainstream press as categorically fake while implying a "Real Media" exists (Fox News, friendly outlets). This is an epistemic closure technique: training followers to distrust all non-approved information sources.

### Defense Mechanisms
Projection is primary — accusing media of "slanting" while himself presenting a highly distorted narrative. Denial of the substance behind the protests and media criticism. Externalization of blame is pervasive across the day's posts.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Media coverage has gotten worse since the election" | **Unverifiable** | Subjective assessment. Media scrutiny naturally increases for sitting presidents vs candidates. Trump attacked media extensively during campaign as well. |
| "Every story is badly slanted" | **False** | Totalizing claim. While media bias exists, characterizing every story as slanted is demonstrably false. |

Overall Veracity: 25%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 70%)

### Indicators

- Characteristic parenthetical aside '(not Real Media)'
- Media attack theme consistent with authentic posting
- Morning timing (8:17 AM ET) is borderline - could be either
- Slightly polished final sentence
- Emotional valence consistent with authentic Trump

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Tax Day protests and media coverage demanding tax returns)

**Rage:** Intensity 50% targeting mainstream media
- Proportionality: 40%

Sentiment: -0.60

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 50%
- Antisocial: 20%
- Paranoid: 40%
- Sadism: 10%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- projection (immature)
- splitting (immature)
- denial (pathological)

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- collective 'we' creates in-group solidarity
- call to action implies shared mission

## Danger Assessment

**ELEVATED**

### Indicators

- Systematic delegitimization of free press as institution
- Totalizing language ('every story') leaves no room for legitimate journalism

### Gaslighting

- Reframing legitimate media as categorically fake
- Implying media coverage worsened 'since the election' — reframing scrutiny as bias

## Fact Checks (2)

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

> Media coverage has gotten worse since the election

**UNVERIFIABLE**

Subjective assessment. Media scrutiny naturally increases for sitting presidents vs candidates. Trump attacked media extensively during campaign as well.

> Every story is badly slanted

**FALSE**

Totalizing claim. While media bias exists, characterizing every story as slanted is demonstrably false.

Overall Veracity: 25%

## Tags

- media-attack (100%)
- epistemic-closure (80%)
- fake-news-branding (90%)
- narcissistic-injury-response (60%)
- press-delegitimization (80%)

## That day

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

**Easter Monday Cruise Control: Steady Grandiosity With Georgia on His Mind**

A low-key day at the White House headlined by the Easter Egg Roll, but Trump's posts focused elsewhere — attacking media credibility, mocking Democrats, and pre-gaming the Georgia special election. The mood was consistently self-congratulatory with only a brief flash of anger at morning media coverage. He closed the evening promoting a cherry-picked approval poll and teasing a Wisconsin trip, wrapping a day that felt more like routine maintenance than any real escalation.

Full digest for 2017-04-17: https://trump.fm/date/2017-04-17/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, April 17). The Fake Media (not Real Media) has gotten even... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_853945633903923200
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The Fake Media (not Real Media) has gotten even worse since..." X (Twitter), 17 Apr. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_853945633903923200. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The Fake Media (not Real Media) has gotten even worse since...," X (Twitter), April 17, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_853945633903923200.

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