Former national security adviser John Bolton is suggesting that a second term for President Donald Trump could cause “even more profound” harm to the U.S.
Speaking about North Korea during a phone call interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” Wednesday, Bolton said a lot of time has been “wasted” with “Trump’s failed diplomacy with North Korea.”
He added, “Rogue states need time to perfect their nuclear capabilities, their ballistic missile capabilities. That’s what Kim Jong Un was doing.”
“So, I do think it’s more dangerous now because of the progress that North Korea has made,” Bolton said, adding that it would be a “tough play” for the Biden administration if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins the upcoming election.
See Bolton’s remarks below:
Bolton added that public opinion in the U.S. is “hardening against China.”
Additionally, Bolton was asked about his criticism after working in the Trump administration and what his “turning point” was. The former national security adviser suggested that two things “drove” him.
“Number one, it became clear that Trump has no philosophy,” Bolton suggested, claiming that Trump is not a “conservative” or a “liberal” but that Trump’s focus is “Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s re-election.”
Bolton added, “And number two, I just don’t think that he ever fully understood the gravity of his responsibility as president, the weight of the decisions he had. And it’s why I worry about the harm that he did to the U.S. in his first term and why that harm could be even more profound in a second term.”
