Trump names 5 finalists to replace John Bolton


President Trump teased the fact that he narrowed the field to replace former National Security Adviser John Bolton last week. Now, he's unveiled the contenders, Politico reports.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump rattled off the list of names, which includes: former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz, who was actually Bolton's chief of staff; Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the Energy Department's undersecretary for nuclear security; retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who now serves as the national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence; Robert O'Brien, an aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; and Ricky Waddell, an assistant to the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and an Army Reserve major general.
Trump reportedly had some compliments ready for the finalists, tossing around words like "great," "fantastic," and "love." But he's also been clear that whoever lands the gig should be excited to work with him, as well.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Everybody wants it badly, as you can imagine," the president said last week. "A lot of people want the job — it's a great job. It's great because it's a lot of fun to work with Donald Trump. It's very easy to work with me. You know why it's easy? Because I make all the decisions. They don't have to work." Read more at Politico.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges