Former National Security Adviser John Bolton was ousted abruptly on Tuesday as President Donald Trump soured on him months after first being drawn to his TV appearances in support of Trump’s agenda.
Though Trump going hot and cold on his aides is nothing new, the President was helped along in his decision-making this time by the likes of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who has long been whispering in his ear that Bolton was too out of step with his administration, per Politico.
Carlson called the move “great news for America” on his show Tuesday night.
Carlson calls Bolton’s ouster “great news for America” pic.twitter.com/iy46WNQXnR
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 11, 2019
According to the Associated Press, one incident in particular that swayed Trump against Bolton occurred when he backed out of TV bookings in August, saying he couldn’t back the administration’s plans. Trump reportedly complained loudly about the cancellations.
Bolton was always an uneasy fit in the Trump administration, not least because of the optics. The President, who loves choosing aides “out of central casting” has harbored a long dislike of Bolton’s bushy mustache.
Despite the moustache, he was reportedly hired due to his bombast and bluster on Fox.
What scares most people about Bolton, was what Trump was attracted to - at least on air. However Bolton is something Trump doesn’t comprehend: an ideologue (and a crazy war-mongering one, at that.)
Glad Bolton is further away from the levers of war. Now we just need to pry Fat Nixon’s baby-like fingers off of those levers of power/the white house.
That said of all of the rumours swirling yesterday as to what was the final straw, I enjoyed most the one that Trump was all obsessive over the idea that Bolton leaked the nuke the hurricane story to the media. Its just so humiliating for all involved.
I’m delighted at Bolton’s humiliation–long overdue and he should have suffered more.
OTOH: I will also very much enjoy the karmic inevitability of the demise of Tucker Carlson’s career. The only thing I wish I could do is then shoehorn him into combat fatigues and drop him into the Afghan mountains with a big target on his back reading “Chickenhawk.”
This was the conman-in-chief finally realizing that Bolton actually meant all that crazy talk, and would’ve regime-changed several countries if given the chance. Conman met the ideologue and didn’t like it.
Kinda funny to think of Trump being freaked out by an underling who didn’t live entirely for the grift.
spot on.