# Post x_918808798059483136

- Post ID: `x_918808798059483136`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-10-13T12:01:02.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_918808798059483136
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_918808798059483136/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_918808798059483136.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The wonderful people of Puerto Rico, with their unmatched spirit, know how bad things were before the H's. I will always be with them!

## Engagement

- Likes: 63,491
- Reposts: 11,949
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.385Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-12T00:16:06.035Z (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 exemplifies strategic deflection during a humanitarian crisis. Amid sustained criticism of the federal Hurricane Maria response, Trump reframes the narrative by asserting Puerto Ricans "know how bad things were before the H's"—shifting blame to pre-existing conditions while minimizing the disaster with a casual abbreviation. The praise-deflect-claim structure (compliment people → reframe blame → assert loyalty) serves as a narcissistic defense against injury from criticism. The gaslighting element is notable: claiming Puerto Ricans themselves validate his framing, when polling and local officials were expressing deep frustration with the federal response. The parasocial intimacy claim "I will always be with them" contrasts sharply with his actual engagement pattern during this period, which included attacking San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and spending significant social media energy on NFL anthem protests rather than disaster coordination.

## Analysis: Puerto Rico "Unmatched Spirit" Post (2017-10-13)

This post arrives during intense criticism of Trump's Hurricane Maria response. The phrase "know how bad things were before the H's" is a remarkable deflection—reframing the disaster narrative from federal response failures to pre-existing conditions, while the unusual abbreviation "the H's" (hurricanes) reads as casual minimization.

### Authorship
Posted at 8:01 AM ET (Trump was in Washington). The polished, diplomatic tone and careful phrasing suggest aide involvement, though the odd "the H's" abbreviation could indicate dictation or partial Trump input.

### Psychological Dynamics
The post functions as a preemptive defense against mounting criticism of the federal hurricane response. "Know how bad things were before" is classic externalization—shifting blame to prior conditions. "I will always be with them" is a parasocial intimacy claim unsupported by his actual engagement pattern (he had been tweeting about the NFL and attacking San Juan's mayor).

### Rhetorical Function
The compliments ("wonderful people," "unmatched spirit") serve as a setup for the deflection. Praising resilience implicitly reduces the need for federal aid—if their spirit is "unmatched," perhaps they can handle it themselves. This is a well-documented rhetorical pattern: compliment the victim, minimize the crisis.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Things were bad in Puerto Rico before the hurricanes" | **Half True** | Puerto Rico had pre-existing debt crisis and infrastructure issues, but Trump uses this to deflect from widely criticized federal response failures. The framing implies current suffering is not primarily hurricane/response-related, which is false. |

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Authorship Analysis

**Aide-Written** (score: 30%)

### Indicators

- Business hours posting (8:01 AM ET)
- Diplomatic tone unusual for authentic Trump
- Complete sentences with correct grammar
- Odd 'the H's' abbreviation suggests possible dictation hybrid

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Criticism (Sustained criticism of Hurricane Maria response)

Sentiment: +0.40

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 50%
- Antisocial: 30%
- Paranoid: 10%
- Sadism: 0%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- rationalization (neurotic)
- denial (pathological)

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

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- False intimacy ('I will always be with them')
- Flattery as manipulation ('wonderful people', 'unmatched spirit')

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Reframing narrative to suggest Puerto Rico's problems predated hurricanes
- Implying Puerto Ricans themselves validate his framing ('know how bad things were')

## Fact Checks (1)

_The model's verdicts from 2026-03-12._

> Things were bad in Puerto Rico before the hurricanes

**HALF TRUE**

Puerto Rico had pre-existing debt crisis and infrastructure issues, but Trump uses this to deflect from widely criticized federal response failures. The framing implies current suffering is not primarily hurricane/response-related, which is false.

Sources: General knowledge of Puerto Rico fiscal crisis; Hurricane Maria response reporting

Overall Veracity: 50%

## Tags

- puerto_rico (100%)
- hurricane_maria (90%)
- deflection (80%)
- gaslighting (70%)
- crisis_response (70%)

## That day

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

**Saboteur-as-Savior: Trump Cuts ACA Subsidies Then Offers to "Fix" the Damage**

Trump spent the day projecting presidential authority across a packed schedule — healthcare policy, Iran decertification, a speech at the Values Voter Summit, and Navy birthday greetings — while the real story was his move to cut ACA subsidy payments the night before, followed by morning tweets blaming Democrats for the resulting chaos and offering himself as the solution. A brief flash of anger at NBC and CNN opened the evening, but the rest of the day stayed in a steady, self-congratulatory gear with heavy staff involvement in most posts. Puerto Rico got a single, carefully worded nod amid ongoing hurricane criticism.

Full digest for 2017-10-13: https://trump.fm/date/2017-10-13/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, October 13). The wonderful people of Puerto Rico, with their... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_918808798059483136
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The wonderful people of Puerto Rico, with their unmatched..." X (Twitter), 13 Oct. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_918808798059483136. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The wonderful people of Puerto Rico, with their unmatched...," X (Twitter), October 13, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_918808798059483136.

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