# Post x_862998775731818500

- Post ID: `x_862998775731818500`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-05-12T15:51:56.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_862998775731818500
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_862998775731818500/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_862998775731818500.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> Again, the story that there was collusion between the Russians &amp, Trump campaign was fabricated by Dems as an excuse for losing the election.

## Engagement

- Likes: 0
- Reposts: 15,330
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-02-01T01:33:25.018Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T12:45:27.068Z (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 is part of an extraordinary May 12, 2017 tweet barrage—one of the most psychologically revealing days in Trump's Twitter history. Three days after firing FBI Director Comey (who was leading the Russia investigation), Trump produced a rapid sequence of posts that included witness intimidation (threatening Comey with "tapes"), attacks on the press briefing institution, dismissal of the Russia probe, and deflection to trade news. This specific post employs pathological denial and projection, reframing an active federal investigation as a partisan fabrication. The "Again" opener signals perseverative frustration. The volume and thematic scatter of the day's output—oscillating between threat, grievance, denial, and self-promotion—is consistent with significant psychological distress and mild hypomanic features. The core narcissistic injury is dual: the investigation threatens both his legitimacy as president and his self-concept as winner. The gaslighting dimension is notable—characterizing a bipartisan intelligence finding as Democratic fabrication represents a significant reality distortion directed at his audience. When viewed alongside the same day's Comey "tapes" threat, this cluster represents one of the more concerning episodes of the early presidency, combining obstruction-adjacent behavior with sustained reality distortion.

## Psychological Analysis: Post x_862998775731818500

### Context
Posted May 12, 2017 at 11:51 AM ET (Trump was in Washington, D.C.). This is part of a remarkable barrage of tweets on this date—the same day he threatened Comey with "tapes," floated canceling press briefings, and dismissed the Russia investigation. Comey had been fired just three days prior.

### Authorship
The post timing (late morning business hours) and relatively clean grammar suggest possible aide involvement, but the defensive content, the word "Again" as an opener (characteristic Trump impatience), and the "&amp," (HTML entity artifact suggesting quick composition) lean toward authentic Trump or at minimum Trump-dictated content. The emotional thrust is unmistakably his.

### Psychological Analysis
This post is a textbook example of denial and projection under extreme pressure. Having just fired the FBI director investigating Russian interference, Trump reframes the entire Russia story as fabricated by Democrats. The causal logic—"fabricated as an excuse for losing"—serves dual purposes: it delegitimizes the investigation and re-opens the narcissistic wound of opponents denying his electoral legitimacy.

The word "Again" signals perseveration and frustration at having to repeat a defensive claim. This is characteristic of narcissistic injury—the investigation itself is experienced as an attack on the self.

### Defense Mechanisms
- **Denial**: Flatly rejects the collusion narrative despite active FBI investigation
- **Projection**: Attributes fabrication to Democrats (the accusation of dishonesty is redirected)
- **Rationalization**: Provides a motive narrative (excuse for losing) to explain away the investigation

### Rhetorical Techniques
The framing of "fabricated by Dems as an excuse" is a classic delegitimization technique—it doesn't engage with evidence but attacks the motive of those investigating. This is consistent with the broader pattern across today's posts of attempting to control the narrative after the Comey firing.

### Longitudinal Note
This post is part of an extraordinary May 12 output that includes: witness intimidation (Comey "tapes" tweet), attacks on press briefings, dismissal of the investigation, and deflection to trade news. The volume and intensity suggest significant psychological distress following the Comey firing.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "The collusion story was fabricated by Democrats as an excuse for losing the election" | **Mostly False** | The Russia investigation originated from intelligence community findings about Russian interference, not Democratic Party fabrication. The FBI investigation predated the election outcome. Multiple intelligence agencies confirmed Russian interference. The investigation was initiated and continued under Republican-appointed officials. |

Overall Veracity: 20%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 60%)

### Indicators

- 'Again' opener shows characteristic impatience
- HTML entity artifact suggests hasty composition
- Late morning timing is ambiguous
- Content is emotionally driven and defensive
- Relatively clean grammar for Trump

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Russia investigation / Comey firing aftermath)

Sentiment: -0.50

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Part of high-volume tweet barrage covering multiple provocative topics in rapid succession

### Clinical

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

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

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

Cognitive Markers:
- perseveration

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- shared grievance framing
- insider knowledge claim

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Reframes active FBI investigation as fabricated partisan narrative
- Attacks legitimacy of investigators' motives

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> The collusion story was fabricated by Democrats as an excuse for losing the election

**MOSTLY FALSE**

The Russia investigation originated from intelligence community findings about Russian interference, not Democratic Party fabrication. The FBI investigation predated the election outcome. Multiple intelligence agencies confirmed Russian interference. The investigation was initiated and continued under Republican-appointed officials.

Sources: Intelligence Community Assessment, January 2017; FBI counterintelligence investigation timeline

Overall Veracity: 20%

## Tags

- russia-investigation (100%)
- denial (90%)
- comey-firing-aftermath (90%)
- delegitimization (70%)
- narcissistic-injury (80%)

## That day

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

**Three Days After Firing the FBI Director, Trump Threatens Comey With "Tapes" in a Morning of Escalating Crisis Management**

Trump spent the morning in full crisis mode over the Comey firing fallout, unleashing a rapid string of posts denying Russian collusion, attacking the media, and floating the idea of canceling White House press briefings entirely. The most explosive moment came when he warned Comey that there had "better not be tapes" of their conversations — a veiled threat that would later backfire by prompting Comey to release his memos. He tried to change the subject with a boast about a beef trade deal with China, then retreated into safe ceremonial photo-ops by late afternoon. The day revealed a president under siege, swinging between defiance and deflection as the Russia investigation intensified around him.

Full digest for 2017-05-12: https://trump.fm/date/2017-05-12/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, May 12). Again, the story that there was collusion between... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_862998775731818500
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Again, the story that there was collusion between the..." X (Twitter), 12 May. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_862998775731818500. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Again, the story that there was collusion between the...," X (Twitter), May 12, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_862998775731818500.

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