The Washington Examiner reports that President Donald Trump is considering ditching national security adviser John Bolton.
The Examiner claims that sources close to the White House are the ones spreading this rumor.
Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Bolton’s saber-rattling and now new replacement candidates are emerging according to the Examiner. Among those candidates is retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, a leading voice for non-interventionism during the Trump era.
The Examiner claims that Macgregor talked with Trump but they have not been able to uncover the rationale behind these talks.
One former White House official told the Examiner, “It’s certainly become clear to anyone who knows the way this president operates that Bolton’s time is coming to an end.”
The official added, “It’s just unclear if he has a few more weeks or a few more months.”
Another source claims that “The president has seriously been considering other options.”
According to these sources, Bolton’s hawkish approach to U.S. enemies has concerned the president at times.
In May, Trump brought up Bolton’s “strong views” and stated that he was satisfied with Bolton’s foreign policy advice.
Trump specifically said, “He has strong views on things but that’s okay.”
The president also stated that he’s been a stabilizing force when dealing with Bolton: “I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing. I’m the one that tempers him. That’s okay. I have different sides. I have John Bolton and other people that are a little more dovish than him. I like John.”
Rumor has it that Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney also has some problems with Bolton, but when he was questioned by the Examiner about tensions with Bolton, Mulvaney said “I have never spoken to anybody about John Bolton’s job.”
Ideally,Trump would fire John Bolton for his schemes to get involved in countries like Iran and Venezuela.
Trump was elected on an America First platform, which means that America will not be policing the world and will focus more on defending its borders.
By giving Bolton the boot, Trump will send a strong message to the Swamp that the days of reckless interventionism are over.
