Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said he lacks the philosophy and mental fortitude to be a true fascist.
During a Tuesday appearance on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Bolton addressed recent comments made by Trump’s former chief of staff, Ret. Gen. John Kelly, published in The Atlantic and The New York Times. Kelly claimed that Trump openly requested that he be more like “Hitler’s generals” and asserted that fascism “would work better” than American democracy. On another occasion, Kelly recalled that Trump said Hitler “did some good things.”
Although Bolton said that he agrees that Trump’s comments are “troubling” and cause for concern, he doesn’t have the vision needed for true fascism.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I think it’s a mistake to get into a controversy over whether Trump meets the definition of fascist or not. I think his behavior alone is troubling enough,” said Bolton to Collins. “To be a fascist, you have to have a philosophy. Trump’s not capable of that.”
He added, “You know, Adolf Hitler wrote a profoundly troubling book called Mein Kampf—“My Struggle.” Donald Trump couldn’t even read his way all the way through that book, let alone write something like it.”
Bolton, who served in Trump’s White House administration from April 2018 to Sept. 2019, said the most important thing is for the American people to listen.
“I think it’s extremely important that John has gone public the way he has,” said Bolton. “I think it’s something the American people should listen to.”
He added, “I’m not trying to understate the dangers of a Trump presidency. I think it’s important to focus on the dangers themselves.”
For a true assessment of Trump’s political capabilities, Bolton pointed to a comment made by Trump’s former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that “may be more resonant.”
”And that’s that he is a f---ing moron,” said Bolton.
