One of President Trump’s fiercest critics on daytime television — Whoopi Goldberg of ABC’s “The View” — told her audience this week that he’s been turned into a “victim” by The New York Times’ anonymous hit-piece.
Ms. Goldberg said Thursday that Mr. Trump may be playing 4D chess with his political opponents with the release of a Times’ op-ed titled, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” Her reasoning: “The folks who think that there’s a deep state and all that kind of stuff, it sort of gives them more things to make this particular man in the White House a victim.”
The entertainer’s commentary came one day after a senior administration official claimed that members of a “resistance” are “working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.”
“I would know. I am one of them,” the anonymous official wrote. “To be clear, ours is not the popular ’resistance’ of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous. But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”
“I don’t know if I believe this,” Ms. Goldberg told viewers of her “gut” feeling. “Something about this — there is something stinky about the op-ed for me. I’ll tell you. … The timing is too odd, and it gives all of the — what’s the better word — the folks who think that there’s a deep state and all that kind of stuff, it sort of gives them more things to make this particular man in the White House a victim. … That’s just me.”
The host revisited the topic on Friday by saying that Mr. Trump’s criticism of the op-ed constitutes a lack of “cojones”.
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018
“We’re supposed to be able to say as Americans, ’I don’t like what you’re doing,’ without fear of retaliation,” she said. “All that puffing up [by Mr. Trump] is like, ’Dude, what are you doing?’”
“Does the so-called ’Senior Administration Official’ really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source?” Mr. Trump tweeted Wednesday. “If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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