# Post x_863002719400976384

- Post ID: `x_863002719400976384`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-05-12T12:07:36.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_863002719400976384
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_863002719400976384/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_863002719400976384.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> ...Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???

## Engagement

- Likes: 81,862
- Reposts: 18,824
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.390Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T12:44:51.442Z (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, part of a rapid May 12, 2017 tweet sequence, floats canceling White House press briefings two days after the Comey firing created an accountability crisis. The psychological trigger is exposure: Trump's contradictory explanations for firing Comey (first citing the Rosenstein memo, then telling NBC's Lester Holt it was about "this Russia thing") made it impossible for surrogates like Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders to maintain a coherent narrative at the podium.

The primary defense mechanism is rationalization—reframing the elimination of press scrutiny as concern "for the sake of accuracy." This inverts the actual dynamic: the accuracy problem originated with Trump's own contradictions, not with the briefing format. The scare quotes around "press briefings" perform institutional delegitimization, suggesting the format itself is somehow illegitimate.

The "Maybe...would be" construction and triple question marks create a trial balloon effect—testing an authoritarian proposal while maintaining plausible deniability. This is a characteristic pattern: floating norm-breaking ideas as casual musings to gauge reaction.

Clinically, this post illustrates the narcissistic response to exposure: when the system reveals uncomfortable truths, eliminate the system rather than address the underlying contradiction. The post is rated "elevated" on danger assessment not for violence potential but for its targeting of press accountability mechanisms during a period of active investigation into presidential conduct.

## Psychological Analysis: Post x_863002719400976384

### Context
This post is part of a rapid-fire sequence on May 12, 2017, two days after Trump fired FBI Director Comey. The preceding post ("not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy") sets up this one as a logical continuation—floating the idea of canceling press briefings entirely.

### Authorship
Posted at 12:07 UTC = 8:07 AM EDT. Trump was in Washington, DC. The ellipsis opener ("...Maybe"), the rhetorical question format with triple question marks, and scare quotes around "press briefings" are hallmark Trump stylistic markers. This reads as a continuation of a thought thread he's posting in sequence.

### Psychological Analysis
This post is a trial balloon for authoritarian information control, framed as a reasonable suggestion about "accuracy." The irony is striking: Trump is ostensibly concerned about accuracy while his administration was in crisis precisely because of inaccurate and contradictory statements about the Comey firing. The real trigger is that press briefings were exposing contradictions in the administration's narrative.

The scare quotes around "press briefings" perform a delegitimizing function—suggesting the institution itself is somehow fraudulent. The stated rationale ("for the sake of accuracy") is a rationalization that inverts the actual dynamic: briefings revealed *inaccuracy* in Trump's own accounts.

### Defense Mechanisms
The primary defense is **rationalization**—reframing a desire to suppress scrutiny as concern for accuracy. Secondary is **projection**—attributing the accuracy problem to surrogates/media rather than to his own contradictory statements about Comey.

### Rhetorical Techniques
The "Maybe the best thing" framing is a classic trial balloon—testing authoritarian proposals while maintaining plausible deniability ("I was just asking a question"). The triple question marks add performative uncertainty.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Surrogates cannot stand at podium with perfect accuracy" | **Half True** | The accuracy problems stemmed primarily from Trump giving contradictory accounts of the Comey firing (first citing Rosenstein memo, then admitting on NBC it was about Russia), making it impossible for surrogates to be consistent. |

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Authorship Analysis

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

### Indicators

- Ellipsis opener continuing prior thought
- Scare quotes around 'press briefings'
- Triple question marks
- Stream-of-consciousness rhetorical question
- Part of rapid morning tweet sequence

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Exposure (Press briefings exposing contradictions in Comey firing narrative)

Sentiment: -0.30

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Rapid sequential posting
- Escalating proposals across tweet thread

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 60%
- Antisocial: 50%
- Paranoid: 40%
- Sadism: 10%

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

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 50%

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Trial balloon framing to test audience receptivity
- Inclusive 'the best thing to do' implying shared interest

## Danger Assessment

**ELEVATED**

### Indicators

- Floating elimination of press briefings during accountability crisis
- Pattern of delegitimizing media institutions

### Gaslighting

- Framing suppression of scrutiny as concern for accuracy
- Inverting who has the accuracy problem

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> Surrogates cannot stand at podium with perfect accuracy

**HALF TRUE**

The accuracy problems stemmed primarily from Trump giving contradictory accounts of the Comey firing (first citing Rosenstein memo, then admitting on NBC it was about Russia), making it impossible for surrogates to be consistent.

Sources: NBC Lester Holt interview May 11 2017

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Tags

- press-freedom (90%)
- comey-firing (80%)
- trial-balloon (80%)
- accountability-avoidance (70%)

## 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). ...Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_863002719400976384
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "...Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future..." X (Twitter), 12 May. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_863002719400976384. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "...Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future...," X (Twitter), May 12, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_863002719400976384.

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