# Post x_910332992756834304

- Post ID: `x_910332992756834304`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-09-20T02:41:13.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_910332992756834304
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_910332992756834304/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_910332992756834304.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> I was saddened to see how bad the ratings were on the Emmys last night - the worst ever. Smartest people of them all are the "DEPLORABLES."

## Engagement

- Likes: 117,255
- Reposts: 26,332
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.386Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T23:06:27.784Z (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 late-night post reveals characteristic narcissistic priority distortion: while Hurricane Maria was making catastrophic landfall on Puerto Rico that same day, Trump's attention was captured by a three-day-old entertainment industry slight. The Emmys had featured extensive anti-Trump humor, and the delayed response suggests rumination — the injury festered before finding expression. The "saddened" framing is transparently insincere concern-trolling; this is schadenfreude dressed as sympathy. The rhetorical structure efficiently serves two functions: devaluing critics (low ratings as cosmic justice) and seeking narcissistic supply from his base via the "DEPLORABLES" callback, which reclaims Clinton's pejorative as tribal badge of honor. The implicit logic — not watching equals intelligence equals Trump loyalty — is a textbook bandwagon fallacy deployed as populist flattery. The splitting defense is clean: smart deplorables vs. implicitly stupid Hollywood watchers. While not dangerous, the post is clinically notable for demonstrating how narcissistic preoccupation can override situational awareness during genuine crisis, a pattern that would become consequential as the Puerto Rico disaster unfolded in subsequent weeks.

## Psychological Analysis: Emmy Ratings / "Deplorables" Post (2017-09-20)

### Context
Trump was in New York for the UN General Assembly. The post timestamp (2:41 AM UTC = 10:41 PM EDT) places this in late evening — authentic Trump territory. The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards aired September 17, 2017, and featured extensive anti-Trump humor. This post comes three days later, suggesting the perceived slight festered.

### Authorship
Late-night timing, emotional reactivity, the sarcastic quotation marks around "DEPLORABLES" (reclaiming Clinton's term), and the petty-grievance-meets-populist-flattery structure are classic authentic Trump. The sentence structure is simple and punchy. No aide writes a post gloating about Emmy ratings at 10:41 PM while Hurricane Maria is making landfall.

### Psychological Dynamics
The post is remarkable for its timing context: Hurricane Maria was devastating Puerto Rico *that same day*, and Trump had just delivered his first UN General Assembly speech. Yet the psychic real estate is occupied by Emmy ratings — a narcissistic injury from three days prior. The Emmys mocked him; low ratings become retroactive validation ("they deserved to fail").

The "DEPLORABLES" callback serves dual functions: (1) in-group flattery / narcissistic supply from base, and (2) splitting — the Hollywood elite who mocked him vs. the "smart" people who didn't watch. The implicit logic: not watching the Emmys = loyalty to Trump = intelligence.

### Defense Mechanisms
- **Rationalization**: Low ratings reframed as proof that mockers are unpopular
- **Devaluation**: The entire Emmy audience/industry dismissed
- **Splitting**: Deplorables (smart/good) vs. Hollywood (stupid/bad)

### Rhetorical Analysis
The post employs a clean propaganda structure: (1) feigned sadness ("saddened to see"), (2) factual-sounding claim ("worst ever"), (3) populist flattery. The false sadness is transparent — this is celebration disguised as sympathy, a form of passive-aggressive gloating.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Emmy ratings were the worst ever" | **Mostly True** | The 2017 Emmys drew approximately 11.4 million viewers, which was the lowest-rated Emmy broadcast at that time, though subsequent years would set new lows. |

Overall Veracity: 80%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 95%)

### Indicators

- Late evening posting (10:41 PM EDT)
- Emotional reactivity to perceived slight
- Simple sentence structure
- Populist base-flattery
- Petty grievance topic inconsistent with aide priorities

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Emmy Awards broadcast mocking Trump)

**Rage:** Intensity 40% targeting Hollywood/entertainment industry
- Proportionality: 20%

Sentiment: -0.30

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 60%
- Antisocial: 10%
- Paranoid: 20%
- Sadism: 30%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- rationalization (neurotic)
- devaluation (immature)
- splitting (immature)

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- In-group flattery
- Shared enemy construction
- Reclaiming stigmatized label as badge of honor

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> Emmy ratings were the worst ever

**MOSTLY TRUE**

The 2017 Emmys drew approximately 11.4 million viewers, which was the lowest-rated Emmy broadcast at that time, though subsequent years would set new lows.

Sources: Nielsen ratings data; Entertainment industry reporting

Overall Veracity: 80%

## Tags

- narcissistic_injury_response (80%)
- populist_flattery (70%)
- priority_distortion (60%)
- culture_war (60%)

## That day

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

**UNGA Glory Tour Overshadows Category 5 Hurricane as Narcissistic Supply Peaks**

Trump spent the day basking in his United Nations General Assembly appearance in New York, posting extensively about meetings with world leaders and replaying praise for his speech. Hurricane Maria was making catastrophic landfall in Puerto Rico, but it received only a single brief mention before the feed pivoted to complaining about Emmy ratings and attacking Hillary Clinton. The rest of the day mixed healthcare lobbying for the Graham-Cassidy bill with campaign plugs for Luther Strange in Alabama, all in a steady, self-congratulatory tone.

Full digest for 2017-09-20: https://trump.fm/date/2017-09-20/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, September 20). I was saddened to see how bad the ratings were on... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_910332992756834304
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "I was saddened to see how bad the ratings were on the Emmys..." X (Twitter), 20 Sep. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_910332992756834304. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "I was saddened to see how bad the ratings were on the Emmys...," X (Twitter), September 20, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_910332992756834304.

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