Former national security adviser John Bolton declared that President Donald Trump is not “fit for office” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks he can “play him like a fiddle.”
“I don’t think he’s fit for office. I don’t think he has the competence to carry out the job,” Bolton told ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz in a clip released Thursday ahead of a full interview to be aired on Sunday.
Bolton also said the president’s only goal is reelection. “Longer-term considerations fell by the wayside,” he said.
Check out that clip here:
In another preview clip, Bolton said Putin is “smart” and “tough,” and thinks he can play Trump “like a fiddle.”
“When you’re dealing with somebody like Putin, who has made his life understanding Russia’s strategic position in the world, against Donald Trump, who doesn’t enjoy reading about these issues or learning about them, it’s a very difficult position for America to be in,” Bolton said.
Check out that clip here:
Bolton’s controversial memoir of his 17 months working in the Trump administration, titled “The Room Where It Happened,” is scheduled for release next week.
He alleges in the book that Trump sought Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assistance to win reelection and encouraged China’s leader to construct “concentration camps” to detain Uighur Muslims.
Trump has railed against the publication of the book, calling Bolton a “liar” and claiming that everyone in the White House hated him. The Department of Justice has launched a legal challenge seeking to block publication, claiming the memoir contains classified information.
Bolton faces a growing backlash for not speaking out against Trump’s alleged abuses of power at the time and for failing to cooperate with House Democrats in Trump’s impeachment.
Bolton reportedly pocketed a $2 million advance for the book.