Politics

Trump Thinks NYT May Have Written Anonymous Op-Ed Itself

Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump floated the idea that The New York Times wrote an anonymous op-ed purporting to be a senior administration official, which caused a media sensation the month prior.

“Now, even the letter written to the Times, there is a chance, — I don’t say it’s a big chance, but there is a very good chance — that was written by The Times, and if it wasn’t, it would be a low level. Thousands of people qualified for that heading,” Trump said when asked about leaks from his administration.

The president continued that the author of the op-ed “could have been The New York Times” themselves. “Probably wasn’t, but it could have been The New York Times,” he explained.

The op-ed was authored by a self-described “senior administration official” who writes, “It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” in the op-ed.

“We fully recognize what is happening,” the author continues. “And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”

The official described a cabal of administration officials actively circumventing the president’s daily desires. The president noted in his interview on Fox and Friends that he has largely given up on searching for the author of the op-ed because of how many people would qualify as a “senior administration official” within the U.S. government.