# Post x_940904649728708609

- Post ID: `x_940904649728708609`
- Platform: X (Twitter)
- Posted: 2017-12-13T11:22:04.000Z (UTC)
- Deleted: no
- Repost: no
- Canonical URL: https://trump.fm/post/x_940904649728708609
- Analysis page: https://trump.fm/post/x_940904649728708609/analysis
- Audio narration: https://static.trump.fm/audio/x_940904649728708609.mp3 (a synthesized voice reading the post text, not a recording)

## Post text

> The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election.  I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!

## Engagement

- Likes: 75,633
- Reposts: 15,235
- Replies: 0
- Views: unknown
- Metrics collected: 2026-01-31T23:43:13.384Z (UTC)

# Analysis

_Machine-generated by trump.fm on 2026-03-12T02:43:01.559Z (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 demonstrates a striking 24-hour narrative reversal following Roy Moore's defeat in Alabama. The previous day, Trump posted "VOTE ROY MOORE!" with full-throated enthusiasm. Hours after the loss, he reframes himself as having predicted Moore's defeat all along, citing his earlier endorsement of Luther Strange as evidence of prescience. This is a textbook narcissistic self-protection response to electoral defeat. The primary defenses are rationalization (constructing retroactive logic to claim correctness) and distortion (selectively highlighting the Strange endorsement while omitting his enthusiastic Moore campaign). The phrase "the deck was stacked against him" externalizes blame. The gaslighting dimension is notable: the public record of his Moore endorsement is readily available, yet he constructs a competing narrative within hours. This pattern — rapid revisionism to preserve the "always right" self-image — is a consistent feature of Trump's post-defeat communications and illustrates the fluidity of factual claims when they serve ego preservation. The post's relatively measured tone suggests controlled damage management rather than emotional reactivity, though the early morning timing (6:22 AM ET) suggests personal urgency.

## Psychological Analysis: Post-Defeat Distancing from Roy Moore

### Context
Roy Moore lost the Alabama special election to Doug Jones on December 12, 2017. Trump had endorsed Moore despite sexual misconduct allegations and held a rally near Alabama. This post, sent the morning after the loss, is a rapid attempt to rewrite the narrative of Trump's involvement.

### Authorship
Posted at 11:22 UTC = 6:22 AM EST. Trump was likely in Washington, D.C. This early morning timing is consistent with authentic Trump posting — reactive, self-protective, composed but with characteristic rhetorical patterns.

### Core Dynamic: Retroactive Self-Protection
The post performs a remarkable psychological maneuver: Trump reframes his endorsement of the losing candidate (Moore) as evidence of his *correctness* by invoking his earlier endorsement of Luther Strange in the primary. The logical structure is: "I originally backed Strange → I predicted Moore would lose → Moore lost → I was right." This completely elides that Trump subsequently endorsed Moore enthusiastically (see previous day's post: "VOTE ROY MOORE!").

### Defense Mechanisms
**Rationalization** is the primary defense — constructing a post-hoc logical justification. **Distortion** operates by selectively highlighting the Strange endorsement while omitting the full-throated Moore endorsement. The phrase "the deck was stacked against him" serves as **externalization**, attributing the loss to circumstances rather than the candidate's (or Trump's) failings.

### Narcissistic Function
This is a classic narcissistic injury response. Electoral defeat of a Trump-endorsed candidate threatens the omnipotence fantasy. The post functions to preserve the "I'm always right" narrative by retroactively emphasizing the earlier, "correct" prediction while minimizing his actual role in the Moore campaign.

## Fact Verification

| Claim | Verdict | Evidence |
|-------|---------|----------|
| "Originally endorsed Luther Strange and his numbers went up mightily" | **Mostly True** | Trump did endorse Strange in the primary. Strange's polling improved somewhat but he still lost to Moore. |
| "I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election" | **Half True** | Trump expressed skepticism about Moore's general election viability when endorsing Strange, but subsequently gave a full endorsement to Moore, held a rally for him, and urged voters to support him. |
| "The deck was stacked against him" | **Half True** | Moore faced sexual misconduct allegations and write-in campaigns, but he was also a deeply flawed candidate with controversial views independent of these factors. |

Overall Veracity: 60%

## Authorship Analysis

**Self-Written** (score: 75%)

### Indicators

- 6:22 AM local time — early morning, consistent with authentic Trump
- Self-protective reactivity typical of authentic posts
- Parenthetical aside style (and his numbers went up mightily)
- Exclamation points
- Slightly more composed than late-night posts but personal voice evident

## Psychological Profile

### State

**Grandiose State**

**Trigger:** Narcissistic Injury — Defeat (Roy Moore's electoral defeat after Trump's endorsement)

Sentiment: +0.10

### Clinical

**Malignant Narcissism:**
- Narcissistic: 60%
- Antisocial: 30%
- Paranoid: 20%
- Sadism: 0%

**Defense Mechanisms:**
- rationalization (neurotic)
- distortion (pathological)
- projection (immature)

**Cognitive Complexity:**
- Complexity: 50%

**Parasocial Techniques:**
- retroactive prophecy claim
- shared victimhood framing

## Danger Assessment

**NONE**

### Gaslighting

- Rapid revisionism: shifts from 'VOTE ROY MOORE!' to 'I said Moore will not be able to win' within 24 hours
- Rewriting his own endorsement history to claim prescience

## Fact Checks (3)

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

> Originally endorsed Luther Strange and his numbers went up mightily

**MOSTLY TRUE**

Trump did endorse Strange in the primary. Strange's polling improved somewhat but he still lost to Moore.

> I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election

**HALF TRUE**

Trump expressed skepticism about Moore's general election viability when endorsing Strange, but subsequently gave a full endorsement to Moore, held a rally for him, and urged voters to support him.

> The deck was stacked against him

**HALF TRUE**

Moore faced sexual misconduct allegations and write-in campaigns, but he was also a deeply flawed candidate with controversial views independent of these factors.

Overall Veracity: 60%

## Tags

- narcissistic_injury_response (90%)
- revisionism (80%)
- self_protection (80%)
- electoral_loss (70%)

## That day

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

**After Alabama Upset, a Day of Rapid Revisionism and Narrative Repair**

The day was dominated by damage control after Republican Roy Moore's loss in the Alabama special Senate election — a race Trump had personally championed. Within hours of the defeat, the narrative shifted from grudging congratulations to a bold claim that he'd predicted Moore's loss all along. A brief detour into media grievance filled the morning, and the day closed quietly with a terse farewell to departing White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman. The overall mood was controlled but defensive, with ego preservation clearly driving the messaging.

Full digest for 2017-12-13: https://trump.fm/date/2017-12-13/analysis

## Citation

- APA: Trump, D. J. (2017, December 13). The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange... [Social media post]. X (Twitter). trump.fm. https://trump.fm/post/x_940904649728708609
- MLA: Trump, Donald J. "The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his..." X (Twitter), 13 Dec. 2017. trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_940904649728708609. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
- Chicago: Donald J. Trump, "The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his...," X (Twitter), December 13, 2017, archived at trump.fm, https://trump.fm/post/x_940904649728708609.

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