This goes a bit beyond his past attempts to manipulate the press with fake personas. The op-ed claims that staffers genuinely considered his removal via the 25t

This goes a bit beyond his past attempts to manipulate the press with fake personas. The op-ed claims that staffers genuinely considered his removal via the 25th amendment due to his being mentally unfit. That's a damning admission, and one that effectively substantiates a great deal of the insider criticism and evidence of dysfunction that's been published. That's not a conversation any president would be willing to further. It'd be like an 18th-century king trying to sniff out would-be usurpers by announcing to his court that he's illegitimate. It might throw enough blood in the water to get someone to bite, but even after lopping off a few heads, the statement--true or false--is going to haunt you. Some statements can't be taken back. Not to mention that it doesn't really fit with his personality; he has incredible difficulty accepting even meaningless criticism, or letting it go for that matter. Approving an op-ed to go out that implicitly suggests that he's mentally unfit is not something he'd go along with for any reason or perceived benefit.