John Bolton says he may launch presidential bid to stop Trump

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said Monday that he will consider running for president to stop former President Donald Trump from returning to the White House, if no other potential GOP candidates denounce Trump. 

In an interview with Meet the Press Now, Bolton said that other potential GOP presidential contenders have to speak out and strongly condemned Trump’s social media statement over the weekend that the Constitution should be terminated to put him back into power. 

“I’d like to see Shermanesque statements from all the potential candidates,” about the comments Bolton said. “If I don’t see that, I’m going to seriously consider getting in.” 

Dec. 5, 202201:47

Bolton called Trump’s statement “disqualifying,” and said, “I think to be a presidential candidate you can’t just say, ‘I support the Constitution.’ You have to say, ‘I would oppose people who would undercut it.’”

Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 until Sept. 2019, when Trump fired Bolton amid reports that they disagreed over talks with the Taliban and trade negotiations with China. 

The hawkish former diplomat has been sharply critical of the former president since leaving the administration, detailing a series of controversies in his 2020 book. Bolton claimed he saw evidence that Trump obstructed justice and that Trump asked China to assist his re-election. 

Bolton, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, called the former president a “whiner.” Asked about a campaign platform in addition to stopping Trump, Bolton likened his positions to former President Ronald Regan, saying he is “true to free market principles.” Bolton also added that he is “not a social conservative.”  

Bolton declined to lay out a specific timeline for his decision, but he said, “It might be earlier than some would think.”