# Post x_900229323801735168

- Post ID: `x_900229323801735168`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-08-23T05:32:50.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_900229323801735168
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_900229323801735168/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_900229323801735168.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> Not only does the media give a platform to hate groups, but the media turns a blind eye to the gang violence on our streets! https://t.co/Mau0B1qYIP

## Engagement

- Likes: 98,412
- Reposts: 27,775
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.387Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T22:05:00.945Z (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, made late evening after Trump's Phoenix rally during the Charlottesville aftermath, is a notable example of projective defense. Trump accuses the media of "giving a platform to hate groups" — the precise criticism directed at him for his equivocal Charlottesville response. This near-perfect mirroring of received criticism is a hallmark of the projection defense mechanism. The pivot to "gang violence on our streets" serves as displacement, redirecting attention from white supremacist violence to a racialized crime narrative that resonates with his base. The inclusive possessive "our" constructs shared threat. Both factual claims are distortions: media coverage of hate groups is overwhelmingly critical rather than platforming, and gang violence receives substantial coverage. The post demonstrates the subject's characteristic response to sustained narcissistic injury: attack the source of criticism, mirror the accusation back, and introduce a competing grievance narrative. Psychologically unremarkable in isolation but significant as part of the post-Charlottesville pattern of deflection and reality reframing.

## Psychological Analysis: Post x_900229323801735168

### Context
Posted at 10:32 PM MST on August 22, 2017 — Trump was in Phoenix, Arizona following his rally. This post comes in the immediate aftermath of Charlottesville controversy and his widely criticized Phoenix rally where he defended his response and attacked the media.

### Authorship
The late-night timing (10:32 PM local) and reactive, deflective tone suggest authentic Trump. The sentence structure is somewhat polished but the emotional charge and whataboutism pattern are characteristic. The linked content (likely a video) and the accusatory framing are consistent with his post-rally pattern of continuing to prosecute grievances.

### Psychological Analysis
This post is a textbook deflection maneuver. After weeks of criticism over his "both sides" Charlottesville comments, Trump employs a two-part attack: (1) accusing the media of giving hate groups a platform (projecting his own criticism back), and (2) pivoting to "gang violence" as the "real" problem the media ignores. This is classic whataboutism serving as a defense against narcissistic injury.

The projection is notable — Trump was criticized precisely for giving a platform to hate groups through equivocation, and here he attributes that exact behavior to the media.

### Rhetorical Techniques
- **Whataboutism**: Deflecting from Charlottesville to gang violence
- **Projection**: Accusing media of the very thing he was accused of
- **False equivalence**: Implicitly equating media coverage choices with his own statements
- **Appeal to fear**: "gang violence on our streets" — proximity language ("our streets") heightens threat perception

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "The media gives a platform to hate groups" | **Half True** | Media does cover hate groups, but coverage is largely critical/expository rather than 'giving a platform.' The framing implies sympathetic amplification which is misleading. |
| "The media turns a blind eye to gang violence" | **Mostly False** | Gang violence receives extensive local and national media coverage. This is a common but unsupported claim. |

Overall Veracity: 35%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 70%)

### Indicators

- Late night local time (10:32 PM MST)
- Post-rally emotional continuation pattern
- Reactive deflection consistent with authentic style
- Somewhat polished but emotionally charged

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Media criticism of Charlottesville response)

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

Sentiment: -0.60

**Mildly Hypomanic**
- Post-rally late-night posting
- Continued prosecution of grievances after high-energy event

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 40%
- Antisocial: 30%
- Paranoid: 40%
- Sadism: 10%

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

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- shared grievance against media
- inclusive language ('our streets')

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Reframes media as the one platforming hate — reversing the actual criticism directed at him
- Implies media is complicit in violence while deflecting from his own equivocation

## Fact Checks (2)

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

> The media gives a platform to hate groups

**HALF TRUE**

Media does cover hate groups, but coverage is largely critical/expository rather than 'giving a platform.' The framing implies sympathetic amplification which is misleading.

> The media turns a blind eye to gang violence

**MOSTLY FALSE**

Gang violence receives extensive local and national media coverage. This is a common but unsupported claim.

Overall Veracity: 35%

## Tags

- media_attack (90%)
- charlottesville_aftermath (80%)
- whataboutism (90%)
- projection (80%)
- gang_violence (60%)

## That day

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

**Post-Rally Vindication Tour: Trump Relitigates Charlottesville Through Phoenix Afterglow**

Trump spent the day basking in the glow of his Phoenix rally, repeatedly celebrating the turnout and using the event to reframe his Charlottesville response as a media problem rather than his own. His sharpest moment came late at night when he accused the media of the very thing he'd been criticized for — giving a platform to hate groups. By morning he was back to attacking a fellow Republican and demanding Senate rule changes, before settling into a quieter afternoon of ceremonial governance. The mood was overwhelmingly self-congratulatory, with flashes of combativeness woven throughout.

Full digest for 2017-08-23: https://trump.fm/date/2017-08-23/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, August 23). Not only does the media give a platform to hate... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_900229323801735168
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "Not only does the media give a platform to hate groups, but..." X (Twitter), 23 Aug. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_900229323801735168. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "Not only does the media give a platform to hate groups, but...," X (Twitter), August 23, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_900229323801735168.

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