Trump rages against John Bolton: 'If I listened to him, we would be in World War Six'

Donald Trump and John Bolton
(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

President Trump would like everyone to know that his former national security adviser nearly got us into four world wars.

Trump on Wednesday lashed out at former National Security Adviser John Bolton following a report in The New York Times that Bolton in his upcoming book describes how Trump linked Ukraine aid to investigations into Democrats.

As this report sparks new calls for witnesses in the impeachment trial, Trump mocked Bolton for his "many" mistakes and declared that if he "listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now."

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Trump also appeared to suggest Bolton's book is "nasty & untrue" but also contains "classified" information, leading Politico's Jake Sherman to ask the natural question: "Is it classified or untrue?"

This was the latest instance of Trump trashing a former employee, having also declared former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as "dumb as a rock" and "ill equipped" for the job. As CNN's Kaitlan Collins points out, Trump just last week noted that he and Bolton "didn't leave on good terms," but he added, "that was due to me, not due to him."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.