New York Times Op-Ed: Anonymous ‘Senior Official’ Admits White House Staff Is Working Against President Trump
The New York Times published an anonymous op-ed from a member of the Trump administration who declared him or herself “part of the Resistance inside the Trump administration” Wednesday afternoon.
In the sub-headline of the Times article, the anonymous staffer declares “I work for the president but like-minded colleagues and I have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.” The editorial board introduce the author, a “senior official in the Trump administration,” with gender-neutral language, but a tweet from the publication calls the author a “he.”
Though the headline uses the phrase “the Resistance,” the author appears to be a Never-Trump conservative in the mold of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), touting “deregulation” and “historic tax reform” as successes that “have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style.”
“We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous,” the individual writes, but “the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”
The staffer’s definition of what is supposedly “detrimental” to the country seems to be anything other than establishment GOP orthodoxy.
“Although he was elected as a Republican, the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people. At best, he has invoked these ideals in scripted settings. At worst, he has attacked them outright,” the staffer writes.
The anonymous writer goes on to admit that on many issues, members of the administration are working against the president.
“Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” the piece continues. “We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”
The anonymous staffer assures readers: “This isn’t the work of the so-called deep state. It’s the work of the steady state.”
Finally, the writer finishes the post by heaping praise on the late John McCain, referring to him as “a lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue” and accusing Trump of fearing “such honorable men” like McCain.
