# Post x_912280282224525312

- Post ID: `x_912280282224525312`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-09-25T11:39:03.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_912280282224525312
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_912280282224525312/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_912280282224525312.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!

## Engagement

- Likes: 206,672
- Reposts: 56,083
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.386Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-11T23:24:47.403Z (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 represents a clear instance of gaslighting through narrative reframing. Trump flatly denies the racial dimension of NFL anthem protests that were explicitly, publicly initiated by Colin Kaepernick to protest racial injustice and police brutality against Black Americans. By asserting the issue "has nothing to do with race" and redefining it as purely about patriotic respect, Trump attempts to substitute his preferred frame for the protesters' own stated motivation. This denial-and-reframe technique serves strategic purposes: it shifts debate from racial justice (unfavorable terrain) to patriotism (favorable terrain) and transforms civil rights actors into ungrateful dissenters. The imperative "NFL must respect this!" reveals authoritarian positioning — demanding a private organization submit to his reality definition. The post arrives during a controversy Trump himself escalated by calling players "sons of bitches," making the demand for "respect" a projection of his own disrespectful provocation. The polished, message-disciplined quality suggests aide involvement, contrasting with more emotionally raw tweets from the same morning. Psychologically, the mass player protests on September 24 constituted a visible collective repudiation — a narcissistic injury driving the need to reassert control over the narrative.

## Psychological Analysis: NFL Kneeling "Nothing to Do with Race" Post

### Context
This post arrives during the height of Trump's self-initiated confrontation with the NFL over anthem protests. He had called kneeling players "sons of bitches" at an Alabama rally on September 22, triggering massive counter-protests on September 24 (200+ players). This post attempts to reframe the controversy he escalated.

### Authorship
Posted at 7:39 AM ET (Trump was based in the NY/NJ area during this period). This is early morning — consistent with Trump's personal posting window. However, the post is notably well-constructed, grammatically correct, and reads as a crafted talking point rather than stream-of-consciousness. The strategic reframing ("nothing to do with race") suggests aide involvement or at minimum a rehearsed message. The polished quality and lack of emotional markers (no ALL CAPS, no exclamation-heavy outbursts) contrasts with the more authentic-sounding NASCAR and "booed" tweets from the same period. Likely aide-drafted or aide-polished.

### Psychological Analysis
The core move here is **denial** — a flat assertion that the kneeling protests, which were explicitly initiated by Colin Kaepernick to protest racial injustice and police brutality, have "nothing to do with race." This is a textbook reality distortion: redefining the opponent's stated motivation to make it about patriotism rather than racial justice.

This serves multiple functions:
1. **Deflection**: Shifts debate from racial injustice (where Trump is vulnerable) to patriotism (where he claims ownership)
2. **Moral reframing**: Transforms protesters from civil rights actors into disrespectful ingrates
3. **Demand for submission**: "NFL must respect this!" is a dominance assertion — the league must comply with his framing

### Defense Mechanisms
- **Denial**: Flatly denying the racial dimension of protests that were explicitly about race
- **Distortion**: Reshaping a racial justice protest into a patriotism issue
- **Projection**: The one who escalated the controversy and introduced profanity ("sons of bitches") now demands "respect"

### Rhetorical Techniques
The false dichotomy is central: kneeling is either about race OR about disrespecting the flag — never both or neither. The imperative "NFL must respect this!" positions Trump as authority over a private organization, consistent with authoritarian communication patterns.

### Gaslighting Assessment
This post meets criteria for gaslighting. The NFL protests were explicitly, publicly, and repeatedly described by their originators as being about racial injustice and police violence against Black Americans. Asserting they have "nothing to do with race" contradicts the protesters' own stated purpose and attempts to substitute Trump's preferred narrative for documented reality.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race" | **False** | Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in 2016 explicitly to protest racial injustice and police violence against Black Americans. This was his repeatedly stated purpose. |

Overall Veracity: 0%

## Authorship Analysis

**Uncertain** (score: 35%)

### Indicators

- Grammatically correct and polished
- Strategic reframing language suggesting preparation
- No typos, ALL CAPS, or emotional overflow
- Early morning timing (7:39 AM ET) slightly favors authenticity
- Lacks stream-of-consciousness quality of adjacent tweets

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Defeat (Mass NFL player protests repudiating his rally comments)

Sentiment: -0.30

### Clinical

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

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

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- Invoking shared symbols (Country, Flag, Anthem) to create in-group solidarity
- Positioning himself as defender of sacred national symbols

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Denies the explicitly stated racial motivation of NFL protests
- Substitutes his preferred narrative (patriotism) for protesters' own stated purpose (racial justice)
- Attempts to redefine reality: what protests 'are about' vs what protesters say they're about

## Fact Checks (1)

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

> The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race

**FALSE**

Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in 2016 explicitly to protest racial injustice and police violence against Black Americans. This was his repeatedly stated purpose.

Sources: Kaepernick's own public statements; NFL player statements during 2017 protests

Overall Veracity: 0%

## Tags

- NFL_anthem_controversy (100%)
- racial_denial (90%)
- narrative_reframing (80%)
- patriotism_weaponized (70%)

## That day

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

**NFL Culture War Consumes the Day as Puerto Rico Drowns in Silence**

Trump spent nearly the entire day litigating the NFL anthem controversy he started three days earlier at an Alabama rally. Seven of his eleven posts focused on players kneeling during the national anthem, cycling through praise for fans who booed, denial that the protests had anything to do with race, and a sharp evening attack on CNN for reporting that his own chief of staff disagreed with his approach. Healthcare, immigration, and tax reform each got a single mention, while the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Puerto Rico went completely unaddressed. The mood was assertive and combative throughout, peaking in the evening with a rapid-fire three-post burst defending his position.

Full digest for 2017-09-25: https://trump.fm/date/2017-09-25/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, September 25). The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_912280282224525312
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is..." X (Twitter), 25 Sep. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_912280282224525312. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is...," X (Twitter), September 25, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_912280282224525312.

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