President Trump has fired his National Security Adviser John Bolton — something Bolton apparently didn't see coming.
Trump says he "informed" Bolton of his firing Monday night, explaining that he "disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the administration," per a Tuesday tweet. But Bolton quickly sent out a tweet of his own, saying that when he offered Trump his resignation Monday night, Trump said "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
The unexpected firing came on Tuesday, with the "disagreements" Trump mentioned possibly stemming from Bolton's hawkish views on handling Iran and North Korea.
....I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
Just minutes after Trump sent his tweets, Bolton indicated that the announcement caught him off guard. Still, he did text Fox News' Brian Kilmeade minutes later to say "Let's be clear, I resigned."
I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) September 10, 2019
The facts side with Bolton, seeing as just Tuesday morning, the White House amended its schedule to include a press briefing with Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Kathryn Krawczyk