A New York Times op-ed by “a senior official in the Trump administration,” titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” is drawing merciless condemnation and mockery.

“I work for the president but like-minded colleagues and I have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations,” the anonymous author writes. “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.

“That is why many [President Donald] Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”

More from LifeZette TV

MORE NEWS: Ep 49 | Amazing Organization Helps Our Warriors Transition From Overseas, Prevent Suicide and Heal

The op-ed reportedly spurred an intensive internal White House hunt to discover the author’s identity and propelled several high-profile Trump administration officials to deny formally that they were the individual.

Although mainstream media members and many Democrats gobbled up the op-ed and salivated over its claims, many Americans pushed back against the author and rebuked him or her for it.

Do you agree that protesting is acceptable, but rioting is not? Yes No Email Address (required) By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement Results Vote

Here are 20 of the best reactions to The Times’ op-ed:

1.) President Donald Trump himself on Twitter:

“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!”

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

MORE NEWS: Helping Our Warriors Transition From Overseas, Prevent Suicide and Heal

2.) First lady Melania Trump in a statement:

“To the writer of the oped — you are not protecting this country, you are sabotaging it with your cowardly actions,” Melania Trump said. “If a person is bold enough to accuse people of negative actions, they have a responsibility to publicly stand by their words and people have the right to be able to defend themselves.”

“To the writer of the oped – you are not protecting this country, you are sabotaging it with your cowardly actions.” — @FLOTUS pic.twitter.com/geJBekPUfz — Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) September 6, 2018

3.) White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement on Twitter:

“The media’s wild obsession with the identity of the anonymous coward is recklessly tarnishing the reputation of thousands of great Americans who proudly serve our country and work for President Trump. Stop,” Sanders said, adding that The Times is “complicit” in “this deceitful act.”

For those of you asking for the identity of the anonymous coward: pic.twitter.com/RpWYPHa6To — Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 6, 2018

4.) Vice President Mike Pence’s deputy chief of staff, Jarrod Agen, on Twitter:

“The vice president puts his name on his op-eds. The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts.”

The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds. The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts. — Jarrod Agen (@VPComDir) September 6, 2018

5.) Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Twitter:

“The @nytimes ‘anonymous’ columnist paints himself as superman and all of America as a damsel in distress that needs to be saved. A tedious, self-serving narrative. Disloyal uncivil servants are a dime a dozen in Washington. Meanwhile, America is thriving.”

The @nytimes "anonymous" columnist paints himself as Superman and all of America as a damsel in distress that needs to be saved. A tedious, self-serving narrative. Disloyal uncivil servants are a dime a dozen in Washington. Meanwhile, America is thriving. — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) September 6, 2018

6.) Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer on Twitter:

“My advice to the White House staff: Support the president or don’t work there. You’re privileged to hold that job. Challenge POTUS. Advise him. Do it privately, because you can. But if you can’t support him, do the honorable thing and resign. Go public if you want, after you leave.”

My advice to the WH staff: Support the President or don’t work there. You’re privileged to hold that job. Challenge POTUS. Advise him. Do it privately-because you can. But if you can’t support him, do the honorable thing and resign. Go public if you want, after you leave. — Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 6, 2018

7.) Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends”:

“[The official] is behaving, I think, in a way which undermines and betrays the Constitution,” Gingrich said. “Here is this person, this coward — that’s what it is, it is a coward — who is hiding, writing anonymously, hasn’t got the guts to come out in public.”

Related: Dem Senator Not ‘Cheering’ Anti-Trump WH Staffer’s ‘Resistance’ Op-Ed

“But this idea that we’re going to have people floating around the federal government paid by the taxpayer, working to undermine the president of the United States, I think that is a very outrageous arrogation of authority and, frankly, absolutely undermines the Constitution,” Gingrich added.

8.) Secretary of Energy Rick Perry on Twitter:

“I am not the author of the New York Times oped, nor do I agree with its characterizations. Hiding behind anonymity and smearing the president of the United States does not make you an ‘unsung hero’, it makes you a coward, unworthy of serving this nation.”

I am not the author of the New York Times OpEd, nor do I agree with its characterizations. Hiding behind anonymity and smearing the President of the United States does not make you an "unsung hero", it makes you a coward, unworthy of serving this Nation. — Rick Perry (@SecretaryPerry) September 6, 2018

9.) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Twitter:

“Let me put this as bluntly as possible: The government official who wrote the anonymous New York Times op-ed is a coward. He should be exposed and fired.”

Let me put this as bluntly as possible: The government official who wrote the anonymous New York Times op-ed is a coward. He should be exposed and fired. pic.twitter.com/PIBUJwDRjW — Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) September 6, 2018

10.) Speaker of the House Paul Ryan during a press conference:

“The person who works in the administration serves at the pleasure of the president. It’s a person who obviously is living in dishonesty,” Ryan said of the writer. “It doesn’t help the president. If you’re not interested in helping the president, you shouldn’t work for the president, as far as I’m concerned.”

11.) Former U.S. Secret Service agent Dan Bongino on Twitter:

“Dear Anonymous, you’re nothing more than a gutless coward. You’re a punk and a chump. Please spare us all the sanctimonious crap and resign asap if you have an ounce of integrity. I don’t want a cent of my hard-earned tax money paying your sorry soul.”

Dear Anonymous,

You’re nothing more than a gutless coward. You’re a punk and a chump. Please spare us all the sanctimonious crap and resign ASAP if you have an ounce of integrity. I don’t want a cent of my hard-earned tax money paying your sorry soul. https://t.co/iYzsqeUVcI — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) September 6, 2018

12.) Kayleigh McEnany, GOP national spokeswoman, on Twitter:

“The #NYTimesOpEd is a self-serving product of the deep state and an admission of betraying the agenda voted on by the American people.”

The #NYTimesOpEd is a self-serving product of the deep state and an admission of betraying the agenda voted on by the American people. Discussing it on @AmericaNewsroom, @FoxNews at 10 A.M. ET! — Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 6, 2018

13.) Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Twitter:

“Writing a 1,000-word diatribe against anyone without putting your name on it is the height of cowardice.”

Writing a 1,000-word diatribe against anyone without putting your name on it is the height of cowardice. https://t.co/csSo6WTQNO — Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) September 5, 2018

14.) Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, on Twitter:

“It would be nice to have some accountability when people try to thwart the duly elected president. The people of this great land voted for Trump, but, as we’ve seen, the swamp feels they know better, or at least they know what will keep lining their pockets.”

It would be nice to have some accountability when people try to thwart the duly elected president. The people of this great land voted for Trump, but as we’ve seen the swamp feels they know better, or at least the know what will keep lining their pockets. https://t.co/7NQxIghvWb — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 6, 2018

15.) Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on Twitter:

“We all know [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wrote the op-ed and the NYT claimed it’s a senior Trump official because they think that’s true.”

We all know Putin wrote the op-ed and the NYT claimed it’s a senior Trump official because they think that’s true. — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 6, 2018

16.) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle:”

“Everybody I know in South Carolina likes the judges, likes the military, likes the tax cut, likes the deregulation. They like what he’s doing. So this person’s view of the president he is serving or she is serving is out of sync with the people who elected him.”

17.) National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman Dana Loesch on Twitter:

“Publishing an anonymous op-ed confirming what voters believe about the ‘deep state’ seems like a weird way to combat that deep state narrative.”

Publishing an anon op/ed confirming what voters believe about the “deep state” seems like a weird way to combat that deep state narrative. — Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) September 6, 2018

18.) Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume on Twitter:

“The author of the NY Times anonymous essay contending Trump administration’s achievements were despite him not because of him ignores a key fact: They would not have happened if he had not won the election.”

The author of the NY Times anonymous essay contending Trump administration's achievements were despite him not because of him ignores a key fact: they would not have happened if he had not won the election. — Brit Hume (@brithume) September 5, 2018

19.) American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp on Twitter:

“The NYTs just made it crystal clear why America hates politics.”

The NYTs just made it crystal clear why America hates politics. — Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) September 5, 2018

20.) Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on CNN’s “New Day:”

“I’m not celebrating the authorship of this piece. No, I’m not, because I’m not sure how it actually solves the problem that this person is identifying. There are plenty of other ways that this person could have gone about disclosing this information. I heard someone say last night that this would have made a pretty important resignation letter. So I’m not sure that there’s a lot of heroism in writing this piece.”

And check out this video:

(photo credit, article image: Donald Trump, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Gage Skidmore)