Trump says Bolton a 'disaster' on North Korea, 'out of line' on Venezuela

By Jeff Mason and David Brunnstrom

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departs for travel to North Carolina from the White House in Washington, U.S., September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that John Bolton, dismissed a day earlier as national security adviser, had been a "disaster" on North Korea policy, "out of line" on Venezuela, and did not get along with important administration officials.

 

Trump said Bolton had made mistakes, including offending North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un by demanding that he follow a "Libyan model" and hand over all his nuclear weapons.

 

"We were set back very badly when John Bolton talked about the Libyan model ... what a disaster," Trump told reporters at the White House.

 

"He's using that to make a deal with North Korea? And I don't blame Kim Jong Un for what he said after that, and he wanted nothing to do with John Bolton. And that's not a question of being tough. That's a question of being not smart to say something like that."

 

Trump also said he disagreed with Bolton on Venezuela but offered no specifics. "I thought he was way out of line and I think I’ve proven to be right," the president said.

 

Trump said Bolton, with his abrasive, hardline approach, "wasn't getting along with people in the administration that I consider very important."

 

"John wasn't in line with what we were doing," he added.

 

Trump said he got along with Bolton and hoped they parted on good terms, but added: "Maybe we have and maybe we haven't. I have to run the country the way we're running the country."

 

Trump had been growing more impatient with the failure to oust socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro through a U.S.-led campaign of sanctions and diplomacy in which Bolton was a driving force.

 

Bolton was also a chief architect of the Trump administration's hardline policy on Iran.

 

Asked whether he would consider easing sanctions on Iran to secure a meeting with its leader President Hassan Rouhani at this month's U.N. General Assembly, Trump replied: “We’ll see what happens.” Bolton had opposed such a step.

 

North Korea has denounced Bolton as a "war maniac" and "human scum." Last year, it threatened to call off a first summit between Kim and Trump after Bolton suggested the Libya model of unilateral disarmament. In the past Bolton had proposed using military force to overthrow the country's ruling dynasty.

 

Trump's efforts to engage with North Korea nearly fell apart altogether in February after he followed Bolton's advice at a second summit in Hanoi and handed Kim a piece of paper that called for the transfer of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and bomb fuel to the United States.

 

Trump announced he had fired Bolton a day after North Korea signalled a new willingness to resume stalled denuclearisation talks, but it then proceeded with the latest in a spate of missile test launches.

 

Analysts say Bolton’s removal could help U.S. efforts to revive the talks but will not make it easier for Washington to persuade Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons.

 

Washington has given no indication so far that it will soften its demand for North Korea's ultimate denuclearisation, even though with Bolton gone, the risky all-or-nothing gambit is unlikely to be repeated so bluntly.

 

"This change in personnel could carve out some space for new approaches or thinking about what defines success and how to achieve it," said Jenny Town at 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea project. "Whether it actually does or whether Bolton’s view was more deeply entrenched in U.S. thinking on this matter is yet to be seen."

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and David Gregorio)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-12

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

Bolton's NORK comment occurred a while ago, and the attempted regime change in Venezuela, which is hardly a one man show, failed a while ago too.

 

Seems odd to wait so long to fire a guy who is a "disaster" and "out of line"?

 

Oh well, maybe the next three guys will do a better job in Season 2?

 

"Can I get a do-over on Mike Flynn?"

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 20196 yr by mtls2005

So Trump didn't know Bolton was a neo-con  prior to hiring him? 

5 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Bolton's NORK comment occurred a while ago, and the attempted regime change in Venezuela which, is hardly a one man show, failed a while ago too.

 

Seems odd to wait so long to fire a guy who is a "disaster" and "out of line"?

 

Oh well, maybe thext three guys will do a better job in Season 2?

 

"Can I get a do-over on Mike Flynn?"

He waited because he doesn't like firing and stands by his men ????

7 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Bolton's NORK comment occurred a while ago, and the attempted regime change in Venezuela which, is hardly a one man show, failed a while ago too.

 

Seems odd to wait so long to fire a guy who is a "disaster" and "out of line"?

 

Oh well, maybe thext three guys will do a better job in Season 2?

 

"Can I get a do-over on Mike Flynn?"

Mike  has a date with a judge for his sentencing. It is very unlikely that there will be a season two. All indications are a cancellation after season one. 

1 minute ago, pegman said:

Mike  has a date with a judge for his sentencing. It is very unlikely that there will be a season two. All indications are a cancellation after season one. 

 

Yes, ratings are in the dumper now except with eldery non-college white men (the catheter crowd), but you can always "jump the shark".

 

Flynn can be, uhm, pardoned?

 

Seeing Mick Mulvaney assuming the role (three positions), or maybe Sean Hannity?

 

 

 

 

Yeah, just blame the messenger why don't you? honor and chevery has made many great leaders assume responsibility and to fall on their swords in a face calamities, not Trump though, he just put the blames on others and toss them them out like a used tissue...

Look who is calling who a disaster kinda like the pot calling the kettle black ehhh?

Bolton is probably the US's most visible trigger-happy neocon/war hawk (sorry Kristol).

And look who's saying otherwise:

https://theweek.com/speedreads/864174/fox-news-tucker-carlson-calls-john-bolton-man-left-bolton-worked-every-gop-administration-since-reagan

 

What I never got was DT being so against Maduro: he's an elitist dictator, cares nothing of his populace, etc, just his type!

DT told us himself, at the press conference right after the Singapore meeting, that his impetus on NK has to do with his personal business, developing those "beautiful beaches ...  that's what I do."  Looks like Bolton wasn't getting with the program.

I don't like either of these guys.  I may have no appreciation for Bolton's views, but of the two he is the less brazen when it comes to public lying.

 

 

World leaders how did we get here ????

18 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

World leaders how did we get here ????

 

Took a right turn at the moral fork in the road.

 

 

Good riddance to Bolton.

Let's hope Trump starts to really drain the swamp.

John Bolton has been a disaster as a human being. And has no place in politics or a position of power. His ideas are simply way too old school, way out of touch, way too bombastic, and hateful, and do not lend themselves to constructive dialogue. I am so very thankful he has been exiled. Possibly the best choice Trump has ever made as president. As the previous posts states, this might be the only evidence I have seen, in the 32 months Trump has been in power, of any sort of draining of the swamp. Bolton was a 14 ft. crocodile. 

Edited September 12, 20196 yr by spidermike007

2 hours ago, DaddyWarbucks said:

Let's hope Trump starts to really drain the swamp.

 

Rumor now is that Pompeo will double-up as both Secretary of State and NatSec Advisor.

 

Probably doesn't count as a swamp drainage though?

 

 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

John Bolton has been a disaster as a human being. And has no place in politics or a position of power. His ideas are simply way too old school, way out of touch, way too bombastic, and hateful, and do not lend themselves to constructive dialogue. I am so very thankful he has been exiled. Possibly the best choice Trump has ever made as president. As the previous posts states, this might be the only evidence I have seen, in the 32 months Trump has been in power, of any sort of draining of the swamp. Bolton was a 14 ft. crocodile. 

Agree 100%. I do however think his position on N. Korea was  actually better than boss Trump's but that is it!

Who hired Bolton?

Desperate White House! hahaha

With these two personalities we a promised some entertainment as they go at each other in the public arena.

Bolton the tuff guy who ran when the chips were down, draft dodger but loved to send other peoples kids to spill their blood on the floor. He will continue to lurk around Washinton trying to throw a monkey wrench in the works when ever he gets a chance

3 hours ago, legend49 said:

Who hired Bolton?

Benjamin Netanyahu?

I don't really think her deserved to be fired .. .after all he only wanted to bomb them back to the bronze age !

12 hours ago, webfact said:

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that John Bolton, dismissed a day earlier as national security adviser, had been a "disaster" on North Korea policy, "out of line" on Venezuela, and did not get along with important administration officials.

Always someone else’s fault with trump. 

10 hours ago, DaddyWarbucks said:

Good riddance to Bolton.

Let's hope Trump starts to really drain the swamp.

He won’t. 

35 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

He won’t. 

He might.

If he has the sense to see what their agenda is and to whom their ultimate allegiance belongs.

Doubtful for sure.

An arrogant war monger character less with a terrible attitude and arrogance second to none. Good riddance for the entire planet. Kissinger of similar steel had at least some table and negotiation manners (except his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 - that was a blunt slap into the world's face). 

40 minutes ago, VillageIdiot said:

He might.

If he has the sense to see what their agenda is and to whom their ultimate allegiance belongs.

Doubtful for sure.

Their agenda is his agenda. 

 

A swamp creature will not drain the swamp. 

13 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

World leaders how did we get here ????

You might want to ask this guy.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bannon

 

 

How can anyone support trump?I wish one of his supporters could tell me why, I truly want to know. 

Ok so he came in the scene , some troubling aspects of his past but hey, things have not being going great with establishment, so let's give this guy a chance. I don't agree with it, but I can understand the motivation.

Since then he has proven to be a liar, thin skinned,he is inarticulate has not done any of the things he said he would do, has not hired the best as he said (if he had why is he firing them or leaving) many of the people he hired are either under investigation or going to jail, Foreign policy is in shambles, Trade deficit is higher than ever, Spending deficit higher than ever.

I don't get it  How does he even get 39% support?  

Maybe it's time to bring on Michael Bolton.

He could just croon a couple of songs to chairman Kim and cool him down.

 

 

Hey we all know Donald only hires the best lol