While there was some feverish speculation as to what an impromptu presser at 1:30pm with US Secretary of State Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and National Security Adviser Bolton would deliver, that was quickly swept aside moments later when Trump unexpectedly announced that he had fired Bolton as National Security Advisor, tweeting that he informed John Bolton “last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House” after “disagreeing strongly with many of his suggestions“, in the process ending a tumultuous tenure marked by several setbacks in U.S. foreign policy.
According to sources, while Trump had been growing displeased with Bolton’s belligerent recommendations and overall demeanor (recall “Bolton ‘Deep in His Heart’ Believes Trump Is a ‘Moron,’ Former Aide Claims“), the tipping point happened when Bolton expressed his displeasure with Trump’s impromptu invitation of the Taliban to Camp David on the week of the Sept 11 anniversary, a peace overture which as we reported over the weekend, collapsed in the last moment.
As with every Trump personnel decision, this one too appears not to have gone off without a hitch, and minutes after Trump’s announcment, Bolton tweeted that “I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.””
It was unclear if they “talked about it”, but Trump’s verdict was clear: “you’re fired”, although as the new Yorker’s Susan Glasser writes, “this is a Trump Admin first, I believe. A dumped official actually disputing the President’s account of the dumping. Will Bolton become the first of the natsec advisers Trump has publicly humiliated to break with him and reveal what has been going on backstage?”
Whatever the reason for Bolton’s departure, this means one less warmongering neocon is left in the DC swamp, and is a prudent and long overdue move by Trump, one which even Trump’s liberals enemies will have no choice but to applaud, and speaking of applauding, nobody will be happier than Iran and Venezuela.
