# Post x_886588838902206464

- Post ID: `x_886588838902206464`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-07-16T14:10:25.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_886588838902206464
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_886588838902206464/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_886588838902206464.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The ABC/Washington Post Poll, even though almost 40% is not bad at this time, was just about the most inaccurate poll around election time!

## Engagement

- Likes: 72,783
- Reposts: 14,212
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.388Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T19:09:06.849Z (UTC): a model's reading of this post, not his words. Its psychological terms describe the language, not a clinical assessment of him._

## Analysis: ABC/Washington Post Poll Dismissal (July 16, 2017)

**Post:** "The ABC/Washington Post Poll, even though almost 40% is not bad at this time, was just about the most inaccurate poll around election time!"

### Context
Posted during a period of intense scrutiny over Donald Trump Jr.'s Russia meeting emails. Trump's approval rating hovered near 36-40% in various polls. The ABC/WaPo poll released around this time showed his approval at approximately 36%.

### Authorship
Posted at 10:10 AM EDT (Trump was likely at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ for the US Women's Open). The timing and polished-but-reactive style suggest possible authentic authorship during morning media consumption, though business hours timing is ambiguous.

### Psychological Dynamics
Classic supply-maintenance post. The structure reveals a two-part defense: (1) reframe bad numbers as acceptable ("almost 40% is not bad at this time"), then (2) discredit the source entirely ("most inaccurate poll"). This is textbook rationalization layered with denial — if the number isn't bad AND the source is unreliable, the narcissistic self-image is doubly protected.

The parenthetical concession ("not bad at this time") is notable — it briefly acknowledges reality before pivoting to attack, suggesting the number does sting.

### Rhetorical Technique
Delegitimization of measurement itself. By attacking polling methodology via election recall, Trump trains his audience to distrust any metric that reflects poorly on him. This is a form of epistemic closure — followers learn that unfavorable data is inherently suspect.

### Broader Pattern
This post fits the longitudinal pattern of poll-watching and media-attacking that intensifies when substantive political threats loom (here, the Don Jr. emails story).

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "ABC/Washington Post Poll showed almost 40% approval" | **Mostly True** | The ABC/WaPo poll around this period showed Trump approval at approximately 36%, which he rounds up to 'almost 40%' |
| "ABC/Washington Post poll was 'the most inaccurate poll around election time'" | **Mostly False** | The final ABC/WaPo 2016 tracking poll showed Clinton +4, close to the actual popular vote margin of +2.1. It was not the most inaccurate national poll; several others were further off. However, national polls generally underestimated Trump's Electoral College performance. |

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 60%)

### Indicators

- Business hours posting (10:10 AM ET)
- Relatively coherent single-sentence structure
- Reactive/defensive tone typical of authentic Trump
- No typos but informal phrasing
- Poll-obsession is a known authentic Trump pattern

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (ABC/Washington Post approval poll showing ~36-40%)

Sentiment: -0.30

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 50%
- Antisocial: 10%
- Paranoid: 20%
- Sadism: 0%

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

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Inviting audience to share dismissal of mainstream polling
- Modeling which information sources to trust

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Attacks on measurement validity to undermine audience's trust in objective metrics
- Trains followers to dismiss unfavorable data as inherently flawed

## Fact Checks (2)

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

> ABC/Washington Post Poll showed almost 40% approval

**MOSTLY TRUE**

The ABC/WaPo poll around this period showed Trump approval at approximately 36%, which he rounds up to 'almost 40%'

Sources: ABC News/Washington Post polling data July 2017

> ABC/Washington Post poll was 'the most inaccurate poll around election time'

**MOSTLY FALSE**

The final ABC/WaPo 2016 tracking poll showed Clinton +4, close to the actual popular vote margin of +2.1. It was not the most inaccurate national poll; several others were further off. However, national polls generally underestimated Trump's Electoral College performance.

Sources: RealClearPolitics 2016 final polling averages

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Tags

- poll-obsession (90%)
- media-delegitimization (70%)
- narcissistic-defense (60%)
- epistemic-closure (50%)

## That day

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

**A Golf Weekend Hijacked by Don Jr.'s Russia Emails**

Trump spent the day at the US Women's Open at his Bedminster golf club, but the weekend outing was overshadowed by the Don Jr. Russia meeting email story. An early morning burst of posts mixed wounded-father defensiveness with sharp attacks on the media, including repeated Clinton comparisons and accusations that the press is "distorting democracy." The same grievances resurfaced almost verbatim hours later, suggesting the topic was deeply consuming. Between the defensive salvos, routine presidential posts about golf, the military, and polls served as attempted normalcy — but the day's emotional center of gravity clearly orbited the Russia investigation.

Full digest for 2017-07-16: https://trump.fm/date/2017-07-16/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, July 16). The ABC/Washington Post Poll, even though almost... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_886588838902206464
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The ABC/Washington Post Poll, even though almost 40% is not..." X (Twitter), 16 Jul. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_886588838902206464. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The ABC/Washington Post Poll, even though almost 40% is not...," X (Twitter), July 16, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_886588838902206464.

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