Fox News contributor John Bolton, who will become the third national security adviser under President Trump’s administration next month, said he was not expecting Trump to announce his appointment on Thursday.
During a previously scheduled interview on Fox News with Martha MacCallum where he regularly appears as a contributor, Bolton joked that he thinks he still has his cable news gig.
“Well, I think I still am a Fox News contributor,” he said. “I haven’t started there yet, so that demonstrates I think this sort of limbo that I’m in because I didn’t really expect an announcement this afternoon, but it’s obviously a great honor. It’s always an honor to serve our country, and I think, particularly, in these times, internationally, it’s a particular honor. So I’m still sort of getting used to it and I’m sure it will take a little more getting used to.”
Bolton said his job offer “came to a conclusion” on Thursday afternoon when he was spotted at the White House. Bolton will replace H.R. McMaster, who has been national security adviser since Michael Flynn was fired for lying about his contacts with Russian officials.
Bolton perviously served as the ambassador to the United Nations under the George W. Bush administration and has a sordid history of neoconservative views.