National Security Adviser John Bolton Out—He Says He Quit, Trump Says He Was Fired
The New York Times reported that tensions increased between Trump and Bolton over recent months.
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(Updated: 1:10 p.m. EST, 9/10/2019)
Topline: President Trump said he fired national security adviser John Bolton on Twitter Tuesday afternoon amid reported personality and policy clashes in the White House—but Bolton claimed he had already offered his resignation.
- At 11:58 a.m. EST, Trump tweeted that he “informed” Bolton Monday evening that “his services are no longer needed.”
- Bolton fired back on Twitter 12 minutes later, writing, “I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’”
- Just six minutes after Bolton’s tweet, Washington Post reporter Robert Costa joined in. “Ambassador Bolton sends me a text message just now: ‘Let’s be clear, I resigned, having offered to do so last night,’” wrote Costa on Twitter.
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- More reporters on Twitter said they received the same text message from Bolton to confirm he resigned and was not fired.
- A replacement for Bolton will be named sometime next week, according to a follow-up Trump tweet. The White House named Charles Kupperman, who was Bolton’s deputy, as the acting national security adviser.
Key background. Bolton was widely referred to as a hawk for his aggressive perspective on foreign policy issues, while Trump–with no national security or elected-office experience–showed reluctance to employ military action to resolve conflicts. The New York Times reported that tensions increased between Trump and Bolton over recent months. Bolton disagreed with Trump’s decision to call off a retaliatory airstrike against Iran for downing a U.S. drone and to arrange a last-minute meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, among other foreign policy choices.
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