The editorial board of The New York City Times has called for President-elect Donald Trump to resign after it published an op-ed that accused his incoming administration of using the alt-right movement as a tool to advance its agenda.
The editorial board, which includes The New Yorker editor and political commentator Charles Blow and former Clinton White House press secretary Josh Earnest, wrote in the op-ED that Trump “took advantage of a political environment of mounting paranoia, racism and bigotry” to create a “climate of fear and mistrust that is threatening the future of the news media” and urged Trump to immediately step aside.
The Times’ editorial board added that Trump is “a serial liar and lacks the temperament and judgment to be president.”
“This is a moment when the Times must call for Trump to step aside,” the editorial board wrote.
“If Trump does not, it will be a tragedy for our democracy.”
The Times, the newspaper that has a long and storied history in the field of journalism, did not respond to a request for comment about the editorial.
Blow said in a statement that the op, published in The New Republic on Thursday, was not meant to be a call for resignation.
Instead, it was a call to “be honest with ourselves about what the world has become and what it means to be part of the 21st century,” he said.
“We must not let Trump’s words and actions set the agenda of a generation of journalists who will be responsible for the future and future generations.”
Blow, who was part of an editorial board that last week urged Trump not to accept the election results, said in the statement that his piece was “not intended to be the voice of the alt right.”
Blake also noted that the Times editorial board has a history of criticizing Trump and he added that “if the Times has any interest in defending its position, it should be making a more serious effort to find out who the real alt-righters are.”
“The Times needs to step up,” Blow added.