An unnamed senior Trump official has said members of the administration are working to frustrate parts of the president’s agenda to protect the country from his “worst inclinations”.
Mr Trump labelled the anonymous writer “gutless” and the newspaper as “phony”.
In a New York Times editorial, the author said President Trump’s “amorality” and “impulsiveness” had led to ill-informed and reckless decisions.His press secretary said the mystery writer was a “coward” who should quit.
The Times defended the editorial in a statement, saying: “We are incredibly proud to have published this piece, which adds significant value to the public’s understanding of what is going on in the Trump administration.”
The opinion piece comes a day after excerpts of Bob Woodward’s book on the Trump White House suggested that his top officials have been engaged in an “administrative coup d’etat” to protect the nation from the president, including removing key documents from his desk before he has a chance to sign them.This, then, presents itself as first-hand acknowledgement that the coup is real.