Special Poll
John Bolton, a former national security adviser, has openly criticized former President Trump, suggesting that Trump’s potential re-election would be met with jubilation in Russia due to President Vladimir Putin’s perception of Trump as susceptible to manipulation.
During an interview on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Bolton expressed his conviction that Putin regards Trump as an “easy mark” and that the Kremlin would undoubtedly celebrate his return to power. This sentiment comes despite Putin’s recent comments that hinted at a preference for President Biden, citing predictability as a desirable trait in a U.S. president.
Bolton dismissed Putin’s statements as a masterclass in disinformation, suggesting that the Russian leader’s true sentiments were quite the opposite. He argued that Trump’s self-touted rapport with Putin is less a diplomatic triumph and more a case of playing into the Kremlin’s hands.
This sharp critique was amplified by Bolton’s commentary on Trump’s response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Biden and other global leaders have suggested Navalny’s death was a political assassination. In contrast, Trump refrained from directly implicating Putin, both in Navalny’s recent death and the 2020 poisoning attempt.
Bolton sees this reluctance to censure Putin as a clear pattern, one that signals to Putin that Trump is not adept in matters of international relations. He argued that Trump’s approach to Putin during their 2018 summit in Helsinki, where Bolton was present, was indicative of Trump’s lack of foreign policy acumen.
Moreover, Bolton raised concerns about Trump’s financial vulnerabilities, noting the recent hefty legal penalties imposed on him, which could potentially be exploited by foreign entities as leverage in diplomatic negotiations.
Concluding his critique, Bolton questioned Trump’s fitness for office, arguing that his preoccupation with legal and financial woes—both personal and familial—compromises his ability to govern effectively, with the potential for foreign exploitation of these distractions.