New York, New York —(Map)
On Wednesday, The New York Times printed a shocking article which claimed that many people in President Trump’s government are actually working against him much of the time. The author of the article was not named, but he or she is supposed to be someone who works at a high level in President Trump’s government, perhaps even in his cabinet .
The author said people in Mr. Trump’s government often work against him.
(Source: Haxorjoe, from Wikimedia Commons.)
It is very unusual for The Times to print an article without saying who wrote it. But what the author said was even more unusual.
The author wrote that even though he or she had a high position in Mr. Trump’s government, he or she often worked to stop Mr. Trump from doing many of the things that he tries to do. The writer added that many other people who work for Mr. Trump do the same thing.
The author said that Mr. Trump does not believe in many of the ideas that are important to the US and to the Republican party. The writer claimed that Mr. Trump is a poor leader who keeps changing his mind – that he makes decisions quickly without thinking through them carefully.
The Times says the article was written by someone high in Mr. Trump’s government.
This picture shows Mr. Trump with his cabinet in 2017.
(Source: Office of the President of the United States, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Since Mr. Trump keeps acting in a way that is not good for the country, the author said, the people working around the president often resist – they work to do the opposite of what the president is trying to do. The writer said, “Americans should know that there are adults in the room. …And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”
The article is highly unusual and shocking. It seems to say that there are a group of people who were not elected who are doing the job of the president.
Defense Secretary Mattis (left) and Vice President Pence say they did not write it.
(Source: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, via Wikimedia Commons.)
The article has upset many people. Mr. Trump wondered whether the author was even real. He said that The Times should turn over the name of the “gutless” author right away. He hinted that the person who wrote the article might be guilty of treason – working with an enemy against the US.
Even some Democrats and others who don’t like having Mr. Trump as president are not happy about the situation. They say that if people in the government really believe that Mr. Trump cannot be president, then they need to say so publicly or work to remove him.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (center) says it wasn’t her.
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster left in March.
(Source: The White House, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Some people think that the person who wrote the article just doesn’t want to be blamed for the things that are happening while Mr. Trump is president.
But the unknown author has left a mystery. Many people who work for newspapers and news stations are trying to find out who wrote the article. Already, several of the big names in Mr. Trump’s government, such as Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, have been asked whether they wrote the letter. So far, all of them have said that they did not.
They think the writing style could lead them to the author.
(Source: tossh_eng, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Some people are using computer programs to compare the writing in the article to different things that people in the government have said. They think they may be able to find the writer that way.
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