Trump’s response:
In a response to the piece, Trump wrote on twitter “TREASON?”. In another Tweet attacking the publication Trump wrote that if indeed the “gutless” anonymous person does exist, the Times must, for ‘National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once.’
The controversial op-ed:
The senior official wrote in his op-ed that the US president is acting in a manner that is "detrimental to the health of the republic”. The official wrote that he and his colleagues who share the idea have decied to thwart parts of president’s agenda and his worst inclinations.
President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern US leader, claimed the writer, who The New York Times, in a tweet, identified as a ‘he’.
The daily, which rarely publishes anonymous articles, said it did not disclose the name of the senior official in the Trump administration on the request of the author, whose "identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardised by its disclosure"..
In the damaging editorial, the official alleged that in public and in private, Trump showed preference to autocrats and dictators such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and displayed little genuine appreciation for ties that bind the US to allied and like-minded nations.
He said though Trump was elected as a Republican, "the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people".
The official said at best, Trump has invoked these ideals in scripted settings and at worst, he has attacked them outright. He said that the President’s notions are not only anti-press but also anti-trade and anti-democratic," he said.
From the White House to the executive branch departments and agencies, senior officials will privately admit their daily disbelief at the commander in chief's comments and actions, the writer claimed. "Most are working to insulate their operations from his whims."
White House demands resignation of the official
The White House has called for the resignation of the senior administration official who wrote the piece.
"The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected president of the United States.
"He is not putting the country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people. This coward should do the right thing and resign," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.