05 July 2020; MEMO: Former National Security Advisor to the US Trump administration John Bolton has revealed that a second term for Trump is a danger to Israel, and expects that Trump’s policies could shift, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
In a book he is promoting entitled The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, Bolton expressed: “I lay out in the book how eager he [Trump] was to have a meeting with the Iranian leadership, whether [President Hassan] Rouhani or [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei, to talk about getting a new nuclear deal with Iran.”
Bolton was interviewed by the Israeli Channel 13 and spoke about Trump and Netanyahu. “I think he [Trump] has his own definition of what amounts to honesty. He definitely has different versions of facts, they tend to come and go as they suit him,” Bolton disclosed.
“I found that very frustrating. I think foreign leaders found that very frustrating. It’s great if it works in your favour, it’s not so great when it works against you. I’d rather have someone more grounded in reality as president, I think it’s the safest way for America.”
On Trump’s desire to meet with Khamenei and Rouhani, Bolton explained: “Just as Kim Jong-un played Trump along in the Korea context. I worry that, in a second term, the Iranians might be able to do the same with Trump.”
Regarding Trump’s deal of the century, he noted: “Anyone who thinks ‘I’m just going to sit down and bring peace to the Middle East’ hasn’t been in the Middle East long enough to understand how deep these problems are.”
Bolton expressed little hope that Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner would be able to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “It’s not going to happen, especially not in the next four months.”
On whether there are similarities between Trump and Netanyahu, Bolton clarified: “No, not at all. Prime Minister Netanyahu is a very successful politician. I’ve had the privilege of knowing him for many years, I’m a great admirer. Among other things, he’s a master of geopolitical strategic thinking.”
