John Bolton in A Very Stable Genius

On War & Peace: Pre-emptive military strike against North Korea

Trump's courtship and flattery of [North Korea's leader family] Kim laid bare Bolton's limits and capacity to influence the administration. For years, Bolton had advocated a hardline position with North Korea. During the George W. Bush administration he called Kim's father, Kim Jong II, a "tyrannical dictator," to which the North Korean leader responded by calling Bolton "rude human scum." In February 2018, just before joining the Trump administration, Bolton had opined that the threat from Pyongyang was imminent and that the US should launch a preemptive strike as opposed to negotiating.

In bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, Trump developed a habit of teasing Bolton for his warmongering instincts. The president would often say a variation of this: "I've got hawks and I've got doves. Bolton will just bomb you. He'll turn your country into a parking lot, that's just how he is.

Source: A Very Stable Genius, by P.Rucker & C.Leonnig, p.263-4 Jan 21, 2020

The above quotations are from A Very Stable Genius Donald J. Trump's Testing of America by Philip Rucker & Carol Leonnig. Click here for other excerpts from A Very Stable Genius Donald J. Trump's Testing of America by Philip Rucker & Carol Leonnig. Click here for other excerpts by John Bolton. Click here for a profile of John Bolton.
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Page last updated: Apr 26, 2021