Trump replaces security adviser
UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump is replacing White House National Security Adviser H R McMaster with John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations famed for his hawkish views, in the latest shakeup of his administration.
‘‘I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor,’’ Trump said in a tweet yesterday. ‘‘I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend.‘‘
Trump is reshaping much of his national security team ahead of planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jongun, and as he faces a key decision in May on whether to maintain the Iran nuclear deal. He fired Rex Tillerson as secretary of state on March 13, saying the two had disagreed over Iran and other matters of foreign policy.
Bolton brings a far more interventionist view into Trump’s inner circle. He is best known for his ardent support of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and has since served as a Fox News contributor and a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. He has also been a frequent behind-the-scenes visitor to Trump in the Oval Office, and had campaigned openly to replace McMaster in recent weeks.
Bolton downplayed the significance of his past public statements in an interview with Fox News shortly after the appointment was announced, saying he would defer to the president’s judgment.
‘‘I’ve never been shy about what my views are,’’ he said, but that this ‘‘now is behind me, at least effective April 9, and the important thing is what the president says and what advice I give him’’. Bolton’s appointment marks another step to the right as Trump swaps out foreign policy moderates. CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has pushed for a much harder stance against North Korea and Iran, is set to replace Tillerson.
The move installs Trump’s third national security adviser in 14 months. McMaster joined the administration a year ago, after Trump fired his predecessor, Michael Flynn, for lying to Vice-President Mike Pence about contacts with Russia.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner supported McMaster and wanted him to have as graceful an exit as possible, but also backed the hiring of Bolton.
Trump and McMaster had clashed during his tenure. Trump publicly rebuked McMaster in February, saying in a tweet that he had neglected to defend Trump’s 2016 election victory when discussing US claims that Russia meddled in the vote.
In addition to his hard line on Iran, Bolton has taken a tough stance toward North Korea.
Trump had initially considered Bolton for secretary of state, and later offered him the job of Tillerson’s deputy – a position he turned down. He had also been considered for the national security adviser job after Flynn was fired, and though Trump chose McMaster, the president went out of his way to praise Bolton.
Bolton’s supporters and those who have spent time with him say he is far less confrontational in private. While the decision to name him ambassador to the UN was seen as an affront to the institution – he had been a frequent critic of the world body – he generally got along with his fellow ambassadors during his 16 months in the job.