Analysis: Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which w...

8y ago Sep 25, 2017 at 11:31 AM

Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!

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AI Analysis

Machine-generated analysis of the post above on 2026-03-11. Not written by the author of the post.

Danger Level

None

Narcissistic State

Grandiose

Authorship

Uncertain

Intensity

45%

This post continues Trump's multi-day escalation of the NFL anthem controversy he initiated with profane remarks at an Alabama rally. The psychological pattern is supply-seeking through manufactured culture war: Trump created the conflict, triggered unprecedented mass protests (200+ players on Sept 24), and now harvests narcissistic supply by positioning himself as champion of patriotic fans against a "small percentage" of disrespectful players. The rhetorical structure employs social proof, minimization, and patriotic false framing to transform a racial justice protest into a loyalty test. Splitting is the dominant defense — fans who boo are patriots; kneeling players are disrespectful. Notable is the sustained attention to this self-created controversy while Puerto Rico faces catastrophic humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Maria five days earlier, reflecting characteristic prioritization of narcissistic engagement over governance. The gaslighting dimension is significant: reframing Colin Kaepernick's explicit protest against police brutality as "disrespecting the flag" constitutes deliberate meaning-substitution that has proven remarkably effective at shifting public discourse.

Authorship Analysis

Uncertain

Indicators:

Early morning posting (7:31 AM ET)
Parenthetical aside is characteristic Trump style
Exclamation mark ending
Slightly more structured than peak-authentic posts

Psychological Profile

▶ State

Grandiose State

Trigger: Supply Seeking (NFL anthem controversy (self-created))

Sentiment

+0.30

Mildly Hypomanic

Sustained high-volume posting on single topic across multiple days

▶ Clinical

Malignant Narcissism:

Narcissistic

60%

Antisocial

30%

Paranoid

20%

Sadism

20%

Defense Mechanisms:

splittingprojectiondistortion

Cognitive Complexity:

Complexity

50%

Parasocial Techniques:

Social proof ('many people booed')In-group flattery ('fans who demand respect')Shared ownership ('our Flag')

Danger Assessment

None

Gaslighting Detected:

Reframing racial justice protests as anti-flag/anti-military disrespect
Implying kneeling players are a tiny fringe rather than a widespread movement of 200+ players

Reality Distortions:

Framing kneeling as 'disrespecting the flag' when the protest concerned police brutality and racial justice
Characterizing protesters as 'small percentage' when over 200 players participated on Sept 24

Fact Checks (2)

"Many people booed the players who kneeled"

Mostly True

Some booing was reported at various NFL games, though crowd reactions were mixed with both boos and cheers for kneeling players

"Kneeling players were a small percentage of total"

Mostly True

Over 200 players protested out of roughly 1,700 active roster players (~12%), though this was an unprecedented surge and included entire teams staying in locker rooms

Receipts

No contradictions with other posts detected yet.

Psychological Analysis: NFL Anthem Protest — Framing the Crowd

Context

This post is part of a sustained multi-day campaign against NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Trump had ignited the controversy at an Alabama rally on September 22, and this post comes after a massive wave of player protests on September 24. Notably, Puerto Rico is in crisis, but Trump's attention remains fixed on the culture war.

Authorship

Posted at 7:31 AM ET (Trump was based in the NYC/NJ area). This is consistent with his early-morning posting pattern. The syntax is slightly more polished than peak-authentic Trump but retains his parenthetical asides and exclamation mark. Likely authentic, composed during morning media consumption.

Psychological Dynamics

This post performs a classic social proof / bandwagon maneuver: claiming "many people booed" to frame public opinion as aligned with his position. The parenthetical "(which was a small percentage of total)" minimizes the opposition while the final sentence elevates booers as patriots who "demand respect."

The post continues the narcissistic supply loop from this controversy — Trump created the conflict, triggered mass protests, and now harvests engagement by positioning himself as champion of patriotic fans against disrespectful players.

Rhetorical Structure

The three-part structure is effective propaganda: (1) assert crowd behavior supporting his position, (2) minimize the opposition, (3) moralize the supporters' stance. "Demand respect for our Flag" transforms a labor/racial justice protest into a patriotism loyalty test.

Defense Mechanisms

Splitting remains prominent: fans who boo = good patriots; kneeling players = disrespectful minority. The projection continues from prior posts — framing protesters as disrespectful while Trump himself used profanity ("sons of bitches") to describe them days earlier.

Fact Verification

Claim	Verdict	Evidence
"Many people booed the players who kneeled"	Mostly True	Some booing was reported at various NFL games, though crowd reactions were mixed with both boos and cheers for kneeling players
"Kneeling players were a small percentage of total"	Mostly True	Over 200 players protested out of roughly 1,700 active roster players (~12%), though this was an unprecedented surge and included entire teams staying in locker rooms

Overall Veracity: 80%