The White House on Wednesday responded to an anonymous New York Times op-ed in which an unnamed administration official blasted President Donald Trump.
The statement came from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, however, the language used has Trump's fingerprints all over it.
The statement begins by touting Trump's electoral victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, about which Trump loves to boast.
"Nearly 62 million people voted for President Donald J. Trump in 2016," the statement said, "earning him 306 Electoral College votes - versus 232 for his opponent." The White House called the unnamed author "gutless" and referred to the New York Times as "failing," which is one of Trump's favorite lines of attack against the publication.
The White House continued in Trumpian style:
We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the paper chose to publish this pathetic, reckless, and selfish op-ed. This is a new low for the so-called 'paper of record.
The statement then called for an apology from the Times and accused the paper of being part of the "liberal media's concerted effort to discredit the president," and that the anonymous source is "putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people."
The statement said Trump's accomplishments have been "astounding" and that "this coward" who penned the editorial "should do the right thing and resign." Signed, Sarah Sanders. But it sure sounds like it was dictated by her boss.
Shortly after the op-ed hit the airwaves, Trump himself issued a statement to reporters in which he said the Times was "failing" and that major news outlets would not survive without him.
"If I weren't here, I believe the New York Times probably wouldn't exist," Trump said. "And someday - and someday when I'm not president, which hopefully will be in about six-and-a-half years from now, the New York Times and CNN and all of these phony news outlets will be out of business, folks."
Trump also assailed the "anonymous editorial" as "gutless" before falsely claiming his poll numbers are "through the roof."
Trump later tweeted, "TREASON?"
Speculation about the author's identity is permeating Twitter.
Others called on Sanders to "do the right thing" and resign herself.
"How about she go first..."
Based on the op-ed, calls for the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment also appeared.
As did calls for impeachment.
People are also taking Trump to task over who committed treason.
What a day.
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