Many observers wondered whether Trump’s initial post, which capped off a wildly authoritarian week, was meant to be a private directive to Bondi. Top officials in his administration had the same question. According to three sources familiar with the situation, several senior officials at the Justice Department, and also at the White House, were blindsided by Trump’s message on Saturday night.

Some in the Justice Department were left scratching their heads because the Truth Social post directed at “Pam” read so much like a text message or direct message from the president.

“Yeah, he texts like that,” one Trump adviser says. “It’s a lot like what the president writes online.”

Some administration officials, the sources say, determined that even though it was likely this was another instance of the president accidentally posting a private message publicly, it was best to just carry on, and act like it was a written demand that was always meant for public consumption.