Reddit users tear into anonymous Trump official in Ask Me Anything

A Warning
(Image credit: Scott Olson / Getty Images)

The anonymous senior Trump administration official behind A Warning didn't get the warmest of receptions on Reddit.

After writing a New York Times op-ed last year about a "resistance" inside the administration and a book this year describing Trump as unfit for office, the unidentified official took to Reddit for an Ask Me Anything Tuesday night. During the course of the question-and-answer session, the official defended their decision to remain anonymous, but not everyone was buying it.

"Get in front of Congress," one user wrote in a reply that received more upvotes than the anonymous official's original answer. "...You could be a hero and instead you are doing below the bare minimum to help yourself fall asleep."

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At one point, the official promised to come forward before the 2020 presidential election, but this pledge seemed to only make matters worse on Reddit, with one user replying, "This is so theatrical. He's either a threat to this country or he's not. The longer you wait the less your statements mean anything."

Of course, the official wasn't willing to answer anything, including the inevitable question that drew hundreds of upvotes: "What's your name?" Another question that was ignored was, "Did you ever personally witness Donald Trump committing a crime?" When this drew no response, one user complained, "These questions are why we're here, and an anonymous person won't even answer them to a bunch of other anonymous people."

It didn't end on a great note, either. The top-rated comment in response to the official's final answer, about how more "potential whistleblowers" don't come forward because of what Trump "does to his critics," read, "Dirtbags. All of you. I hope you are ostracized for the rest of your days for your support of this administration."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.