Yesterday, an anonymous New York Times op-ed by a senior White House official ignited and revealed an internal battle within the Trump administration. The op-ed, titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration”, details the existence of a group of senior officials working to thwart the Trump agenda to save the republic. It ensued fiery reactions from President Trump, White House officials, and much of the general public on all sides of the political spectrum.

The anonymous author states, “To be clear, ours is not the popular ‘resistance’ of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous. But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”

The New York Times will not disclose the identity of the senior official as to not jeopardize their position.

Soon after its publication, many Trump senior officials have denied writing the op-ed.

Jarrod Agen, the communications spokesperson for vice president Mike Pence, stated, ” The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds. The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts.”

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, also denied writing the piece.

In a series of tweets, President Trump characterized the publication as treasonous and demanded that “for National Security purposes” the NYT must “turn him/her over to government at once!”

However, reactions from the public criticized both the Trump administration and its “internal resistance.” Many pointed out that, like Trump, the senior officials are also part of an undemocratic institution and have not taken public action to challenge the administration.