Hidden message in resignation letter to Trump from arts committee

US President Donald Trump. Photo / AP

When sixteen of the prominent artists, writers and architects on Donald Trump's arts committee quit on Friday, they didn't mince their words.

Their carefully-constructed resignation letter took aim at the President's response to the deadly Charlottesville riot, slamming his "hateful rhetoric" and failure to condemn the violent actions of far-right activists, said news.com.au.

And it appears that there's more to their argument than meets the eye; look closely, and you'll notice that the first letter of each paragraph spells out the word "resist".

Coded "RESIST" letter: Presidential arts and humanities committee leaves hidden message in resignation letter https://t.co/aqawNuh6Yk pic.twitter.com/gI0Re3CzaS

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 18, 2017

Twitter was quick to respond to the hidden acronym, with some reading it as a welcome call to arms, while others dismissed its authors as "unprofessional" and a "waste of taxpayer money".

The letter, signed by 16 of the 17 members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, criticised the "false equivalence" of Mr Trump's comments on the Charlottesville white supremacist rally, which left 32-year-old protester Heather Heyer dead.

Mr Trump controversially laid the blame for the violence on "many sides" and referred to "good people" who were among the white supremacist marchers.

"Reproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville," the letter says.

"Supremacy, discrimination, and vitriol are not American values. Your values are not American values. We must be better than this. We are better than this."
It goes on to urge Mr Trump to resign "if this is not clear to you."

Artist Chuck Close, author Jhumpa Lahiri, architect Thom Mayne and Jersey Boys actor John Lloyd Young are among the committee members to have signed the letter.

The committee, which since 1982 had advised the White House on cultural issues while running programs in schools, had never convened under Mr Trump, the

New York Times

reports.