# Post x_898870621584596993

- Post ID: `x_898870621584596993`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-08-19T11:33:51.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_898870621584596993
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_898870621584596993/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_898870621584596993.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton - it was great! Thanks S

## Engagement

- Likes: 119,211
- Reposts: 25,380
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.387Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T21:54:53.727Z (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 announcing Steve Bannon's departure exemplifies the narcissistic discard pattern. Bannon — who served as White House Chief Strategist and was one of Trump's most influential advisors — is reduced to a campaign volunteer who showed up during the Hillary Clinton race. The structure is psychologically revealing: (1) perfunctory thanks for "service," (2) temporal limitation to campaign only, (3) immediate redirect to Trump's own greatness ("it was great!"), and (4) dismissive truncation ("Thanks S"). The omission of Bannon's White House role is striking — it erases months of partnership and signals complete devaluation. This follows the Charlottesville crisis where Bannon's nationalist ideology became politically toxic. The narcissistic calculus is transparent: allies are valued instrumentally and discarded when they become liabilities, with the narrative rewritten to minimize their importance. The diplomatic restraint suggests aide involvement in drafting, as authentic Trump typically cannot resist attacking departing figures. The post's controlled tone may itself be strategic — maintaining optionality with Bannon's media network (Breitbart) while establishing distance.

## Analysis: Bannon Departure Post (2017-08-19)

This post announces Steve Bannon's departure from the White House, framed as a thank-you. Context: Bannon was fired/resigned on August 18, 2017, amid the Charlottesville fallout. The post is notably restrained and formulaic for Trump.

### Authorship
Posted at 7:33 AM ET from Bedminster, NJ. Early morning but not extreme. The post is suspiciously polished and truncated at 140 characters (old Twitter limit), ending mid-word "Thanks S" — likely cut off, suggesting it was composed to fit the character limit. The diplomatic tone, lack of caps or emotional outbursts, and professional framing strongly suggest aide involvement, though the truncation and the nickname "Crooked Hillary" are Trump markers. Likely a hybrid — aide-drafted with Trump's input or approval.

### Psychological Analysis
The post is a masterclass in **devaluation through faint praise**. Bannon is thanked only for "service" during the campaign — not the presidency. The framing "He came to the campaign" minimizes Bannon's role as White House Chief Strategist. The pivot to "my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton — it was great!" redirects credit to Trump himself. The truncated "Thanks S" feels dismissive, almost contemptuous in its brevity.

This follows the classic narcissistic pattern of **discarding** — once a figure is no longer useful or becomes a liability (Bannon was seen as a source of the Charlottesville debacle), they are diminished and expelled while the narcissist claims all credit.

### Defense Mechanisms
- **Rationalization**: Framing a firing as gratitude
- **Devaluation**: Reducing Bannon's role to campaign aide
- **Distortion**: Implying an amicable, voluntary departure

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Bannon came to the campaign during the run against Hillary Clinton" | **Mostly True** | Bannon joined as campaign CEO in August 2016, which was during the general election against Clinton. However, framing omits his subsequent role as White House Chief Strategist. |

Overall Veracity: 80%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 35%)

### Indicators

- Polished diplomatic tone
- Truncated at 140-char limit suggests careful composition
- 7:33 AM ET - early but not extreme
- Contains 'Crooked Hillary' - a Trump signature
- Lacks emotional reactivity or ALL CAPS

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Preemptive Attack — Exposure (Bannon becoming liability after Charlottesville)

Sentiment: +0.30

### Clinical

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

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- devaluation (immature)
- rationalization (neurotic)
- distortion (pathological)

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- sharing insider personnel decisions directly with followers
- inviting audience to share in the 'greatness' of the campaign

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> Bannon came to the campaign during the run against Hillary Clinton

**MOSTLY TRUE**

Bannon joined as campaign CEO in August 2016, which was during the general election against Clinton. However, framing omits his subsequent role as White House Chief Strategist.

Overall Veracity: 80%

## Tags

- personnel (100%)
- narcissistic_discard (90%)
- devaluation (80%)
- charlottesville_fallout (70%)
- bannon (100%)

## That day

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

**Charlottesville Fallout Exposes the Gap Between Authentic Impulse and Managed Persona**

A day consumed by damage control from the Charlottesville crisis, with Bannon's departure and the massive Boston counter-protest forcing Trump into unfamiliar conciliatory territory. The most revealing moment came in the afternoon, when he labeled tens of thousands of peaceful Boston demonstrators "anti-police agitators" — then reversed course roughly an hour later to applaud those same protesters for "speaking out against bigotry and hate." The whiplash between his combative instincts and staff-managed messaging was the day's defining feature, alongside a famously misspelled call for the country to "heel."

Full digest for 2017-08-19: https://trump.fm/date/2017-08-19/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, August 19). I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_898870621584596993
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to..." X (Twitter), 19 Aug. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_898870621584596993. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to...," X (Twitter), August 19, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_898870621584596993.

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