In Hilarious Turn of the Knife Trump Singles Out John Bolton by Name in Executive Order
Despite what the establishment desperately tries to tell you, President Donald Trump is far from the monstrous dictator the left likes to portray him as.
In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that Trump is more of a magnanimous, forgiving, and somewhat quirky “grandpa” figure — a stark contrast to the “orange man evil” narrative often pushed by his detractors.
Just consider some of Trump’s more recent actions.
Trump never pursued any investigation or charges against Hillary Clinton. In fact, he’s even brought fierce rivals — like new Secretary of State Marco Rubio (or “Little Marco,” as he’s known) — into his administration.
He might even have a cordial relationship with former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. (Probably not, but you get the idea.)
Trump simply doesn’t seem the type to hold unnecessary grudges — unlike, say, Jill Biden.
But boy, if Trump does hold a grudge against you? Buckle up, because it’s going to get rough.
One such target of Trump’s ire is none other than his former National Security adviser, John Bolton, who has become an outspoken critic of the former president.
The tension between Bolton and Trump largely stems from Bolton’s ousting as NSA, which was influenced by Trump’s disagreement with some of Bolton’s hardline stances.
The rift only deepened when Bolton, after being dismissed, published a highly critical memoir that slammed Trump.
That friction came to the forefront again after Trump resumed office on Monday, accompanied by a series of significant executive actions.
One of those executive orders took a direct — almost literally — shot at Bolton.
In an order titled, “Holding Former Government Officials Accountable For Election Interference And Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information,” Trump addressed several issues — but only one individual was specifically named for his alleged actions.
“National security is also damaged by the publication of classified information,” the order stated. “Former National Security Advisor John R. Bolton published a memoir for monetary gain after he was terminated from his White House position in 2019.
“The book was rife with sensitive information drawn from his time in government. The memoir’s reckless treatment of sensitive information undermined the ability of future presidents to request and obtain candid advice on matters of national security from their staff.
“Publication also created a grave risk that classified material was publicly exposed.
“To remedy these abuses of the public trust, this Order directs the revocation of any active or current security clearances held by: (i) the former intelligence officials who engaged in misleading and inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign…
“… and (ii) John R. Bolton.”
While former intelligence officials are grouped into a general category, Bolton is called out individually for his actions.
And in what seems like one last jab at Bolton, when the order listed all 50 individuals who would lose their security clearances, Bolton’s name was placed last — at number 50.
Is this a little petty? Probably. Is it a bit mean-spirited? Yeah.
But it speaks volumes that Trump, who can apparently get along with the likes of Obama and Biden, simply can’t bring himself to extend an olive branch to Bolton.
Is it because Bolton was technically on Trump’s “team” — unlike Obama or Biden — making his betrayal particularly unforgivable? Is it because Bolton is a warhawk, and Trump is staunchly anti-war? Or is it really about that critical memoir?
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that Bolton has earned genuine (and irredeemable) scorn from Trump, something that’s quite rare.