# Post x_898130328916824064

- Post ID: `x_898130328916824064`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-08-17T10:32:11.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_898130328916824064
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_898130328916824064/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_898130328916824064.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The public is learning (even more so) how dishonest the Fake News is. They totally misrepresent what I say about hate, bigotry etc. Shame!

## Engagement

- Likes: 129,351
- Reposts: 33,033
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.387Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T21:52:13.505Z (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 characteristic response to narcissistic injury: externalization and media delegitimization. Following his widely condemned "both sides" Charlottesville remarks — delivered live on camera and reported verbatim — he claims media "totally misrepresent" his words, a clear instance of gaslighting. The DARVO pattern is evident: he denies the substance of criticism, attacks the credibility of those reporting his words, and reverses victim/offender roles, positioning himself as the wronged party rather than addressing why his equivocation between white supremacists and counter-protesters drew bipartisan condemnation. The "Fake News" label serves as an epistemic closure device, signaling followers to reject external information sources. The vague "hate, bigotry etc." deliberately avoids re-engaging with specifics. While not directly dangerous, sustained media delegitimization during a period of racial violence and a domestic terrorism fatality (Heather Heyer) represents an elevated concern — it undermines the shared factual basis needed for democratic accountability during crisis.

## Psychological Analysis: Post x_898130328916824064

### Context
This post comes during the intense Charlottesville aftermath, specifically after Trump's "both sides" press conference at Trump Tower (Aug 15) drew massive bipartisan criticism. CEOs were resigning from his councils, and Republican senators like Lindsey Graham were publicly rebuking him. This post is part of a defensive barrage on the morning of August 17th.

### Authorship
Posted at 10:32 UTC = 6:32 AM EDT. Trump was at Bedminster, NJ (signed VA bill there Aug 16). Early morning posting is consistent with authentic Trump — his characteristic pre-dawn reactive tweeting. The emotional tone, brevity, exclamatory "Shame!", and attack on media all point to personal authorship.

### Psychological Dynamics
This is a textbook narcissistic injury response. The entire political establishment — including his own party, business allies, and media — condemned his Charlottesville remarks. Rather than engage with the substance, he employs **externalization**: the problem is not what he said but how media reported it. The claim "They totally misrepresent what I say" is classic **denial** — his "very fine people on both sides" remarks were broadcast live and unedited.

### Defense Mechanisms
1. **Denial**: Rejects that his words were problematic by claiming misrepresentation
2. **Projection**: Attributes dishonesty to media while he distorts his own record
3. **DARVO pattern**: He becomes the victim of "dishonest" media rather than accountability for his remarks

### Rhetorical Analysis
- "The public is learning" — appeal to collective awakening, parasocial alignment
- "even more so" — parenthetical intensifier suggesting ongoing narrative
- "Fake News" — delegitimization label, epistemically closing his audience from outside information
- "Shame!" — single-word moral judgment, turning accusation back on accusers
- "hate, bigotry etc." — vague reference avoiding specifics of what he actually said

### Reality Distortion
The post implies media fabricated or distorted his remarks. His "both sides" and "very fine people" comments were delivered live on camera at a press conference. This is gaslighting — asking the public to disbelieve what they witnessed directly.

### Danger Assessment
The sustained delegitimization of media during a period of racial violence contributes to epistemic closure but does not contain direct eliminationist language or targeting in this specific post.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Media totally misrepresent what he says about hate and bigotry" | **False** | Trump's 'very fine people on both sides' and 'blame on both sides' remarks were delivered at a live press conference and reported verbatim by all major outlets |

Overall Veracity: 0%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 90%)

### Indicators

- 6:32 AM local time (early morning)
- Emotional reactivity
- Exclamatory 'Shame!'
- Stream-of-consciousness brevity
- Defensive personal tone

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Vulnerable State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Bipartisan condemnation of Charlottesville 'both sides' remarks)

**Rage:** Intensity 50% targeting Mainstream media
- Proportionality: 30%

Sentiment: -0.60

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 70%
- Antisocial: 40%
- Paranoid: 50%
- Sadism: 10%

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

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Collective awakening narrative ('The public is learning')
- Shared victimhood framing

## Danger Assessment

**ELEVATED**

### Indicators

- Sustained delegitimization of media during period of racial violence
- Epistemic closure reinforcement isolating followers from factual reporting

### Gaslighting

- Claims media misrepresent remarks that were broadcast live and unedited
- Attacks credibility of observers rather than addressing substance
- Implies public perception is being manipulated when his own words are the source

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> Media totally misrepresent what he says about hate and bigotry

**FALSE**

Trump's 'very fine people on both sides' and 'blame on both sides' remarks were delivered at a live press conference and reported verbatim by all major outlets

Sources: Trump Tower press conference August 15, 2017 (live broadcast)

Overall Veracity: 0%

## Tags

- charlottesville_aftermath (100%)
- media_delegitimization (90%)
- gaslighting (80%)
- narcissistic_injury_response (85%)
- DARVO (70%)

## That day

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

**Under Siege Over Charlottesville, Trump Mourns Statues Instead of the Dead**

Trump spent the day in full defensive mode from Bedminster, lashing out at critics of his Charlottesville response while refusing to back down. He attacked Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake before sunrise, then pivoted to a three-part defense of Confederate monuments — mourning statues rather than acknowledging the woman killed at the rally. When the Barcelona terror attack offered a lifeline, he issued a standard condemnation but immediately followed it with a debunked myth about General Pershing executing Muslims, revealing that even genuine tragedy gets filtered through his need to project strongman dominance. The day's pattern was unmistakable: deflect, attack the messenger, double down.

Full digest for 2017-08-17: https://trump.fm/date/2017-08-17/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, August 17). The public is learning (even more so) how... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_898130328916824064
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The public is learning (even more so) how dishonest the..." X (Twitter), 17 Aug. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_898130328916824064. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The public is learning (even more so) how dishonest the...," X (Twitter), August 17, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_898130328916824064.

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