Who’s the rat? For President Trump and his fans, no question is more burning. Who is the anonymous “senior official” in the White House who authored that searing New York Times op-ed about a secret cabal thwarting the president’s impulses?
We are told here at CNN that letters are fast piling up from Trump’s team members denying any role in the article or the alleged palace intrigue. That’s probably a smart move, since Trump has already dismissed the piece as “cowardly” and will likely dismiss the author as soon as she or he is discovered. That could be very satisfying to this president who loves playing the tough guy and who made “You’re fired!” a pop culture catchphrase.
But there is a case to be made that Republicans-at-large would be better served if the mole stays hidden. Think about it.
Sure, he/she has called the president amoral, erratic, and an architect of instability who seems to prefer dictators to democratically elected leaders. He/she has openly dismissed Trump as a weak conservative, and an enemy of basic American freedoms.
But the anonymous author also explicitly says these secret agents in the White House want the administration to succeed. They believe many Trump policies, as chaotic as they have been in birth, are maturing well and “have already made America safer and more prosperous.” Indeed, the author celebrates and defends much of the Trump agenda as surely as a Midwest voter in a MAGA hat. He/she just doesn’t want to see it all ruined by the impetuous behavior, rampant deceits, and inexperience of the man at the helm. What’s more, the author fears if Trump is utterly unchecked he will lead not just himself, but also the whole party down a perilous road with incalculable political costs.
Condemn the writer if you wish, but one could argue this person is a loyalist intent on saving Donald Trump, the Trump legacy, and the Republican party from the one person who could bring it all crashing down…Donald Trump.
