30 January 2024 , 15:56
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Donald Trump has been described by John Bolton as "an aberration" who has "no philosophy" and "no coherence to carry on".
The former US National Security Adviser said a second term from Trump would be "dangerous" and added his impact within the Republican Party is one of "intimidation." Bolton made the comments following the release of his book "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir", in which he gives a "comprehensive and substantial account" of the Trump administration.
Summing up what he thinks about the former US president, Bolton wrote in the foreword of his book: "Trump is unfit to be president. If his first four years were bad, a second four will be worse."
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John Bolton said Donald Trump is 'dangerous' (GMA)And in an interview with Good Morning America, Bolton explained the reasons why he thinks Trump should not be elected again. He said: "All of the things he did that rendered his presidency dangerous then are gonna be even more pronounced in the second term."
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He expressed concerns about how Trump will use the Justice Department and the Defence Department, as well as his foreign policy, adding: "He doesn't do policy-making in any coherent sense as we understand it." One example Bolton gave was that Trump would withdraw from the Nato alliance.
After being asked why many voters still support Trump and are "flocking to him" despite the former president and current presidential candidate facing harsh criticism from his previous allies, including Bolton himself, he replied: "I think there's good news and bad news there. I continue to believe Trump is an aberration and I think when he disappears from the scene, his influence in the Republican Party will diminish greatly. Since he has no philosophy, there's no coherence to carry on.
"But what he reflects now is the alienation of a lot of American voters, many of whom are former Democrats, and he's able to play off these emotions extraordinarily successfully. I think within the party, though, in Congress, his impact is more one of intimidation.
"It's not that people believe him, it's not that they necessarily think he's gonna do the right thing. They just don't wanna see a Trump primary against them." Because of this, Bolton said, Trump's influence is likely to "fade once we get off the scene".
Donald Trump is hoping to win a second term as president (Getty Images)Meanwhile, today Illinois' election board is scheduled to consider whether to keep Trump on the state's primary ballot after a recommendation that he be removed over the Constitution's insurrection provision. The meeting of the Illinois State Board of Elections, which is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, comes a little more than a week before the US Supreme Court will hear arguments in a similar case from Colorado.
That state's highest court found the 14th Amendment barred the Republican former president from the ballot over his role in the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, when he encouraged his backers to storm the building after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. After brief arguments last week, a hearing officer for the Illinois board said it should be up to the courts, rather than election officials, to decide Trump's eligibility because of the complicated constitutional issues involved.
But a report from Clark Erickson, a retired judge and a Republican, concluded that a "preponderance of the evidence" presented proved that Trump engaged in insurrection and should be barred from the ballot. Free Speech for People, a national voting rights group that is helping lead the Illinois effort, praised the recommendation as "significant" and argued that Illinois law allows the board to make the ballot decision.
"We expect that the board and ultimately Illinois courts will uphold Judge Erickson’s thoughtful analysis of why Trump is disqualified from office, but - with the greatest respect - correct him on why Illinois law authorises that ruling," Ron Fein, legal director for the group, wrote in a Sunday statement.