Trump Fires John Bolton As National Security Adviser Amid Disagreements Over Iran & North Korea

President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired National Security Adviser John Bolton following major disagreements on foreign policy issues related to Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea.

Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser after Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster. 

Trump’s announcement came in a tweet.

“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump wrote. “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service.”

The president added he would name a replacement for Bolton “next week.”

Bolton, the hawkish former ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, was known for having tense relationships with many other Trump administration officials. Bolton also held hard-line views on how to deal with enemy nations like Iran and North Korea, and often strived to only preserve American interests.

Trump had reportedly grown increasingly concerned in recent months that Bolton would push the United States into another war in the Middle East, while Bolton had long been worried by the president’s amicable relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Bolton had often criticized North Korea’s continued development of nuclear missile tests..

Tensions between Trump and Bolton grew even stronger in recent months after the former decided to meet with Kim on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone. Bolton also reportedly became upset after Trump cancelled a planned airstrike on Iran in June as a retaliatory response to the country shooting down a U.S. surveillance drone. Iran was also accused this summer of damaging two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

Bolton also had a fraught relationship with Defense Department officials. At one point, military officials voiced concern after the former Bush administration official pushed for contingency war plans to deal with Iran.

Another issue over which Trump reportedly became upset with Bolton was his failure to drive out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The opposition party, led by Venezuela’s National Assembly President Juan Guaido, received support from the White House but has found itself unable to gain traction in its military efforts to oust Maduro.

 

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