Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has claimed that President Donald Trump's slamming of senior GOP figures is intended to ride roughshod over the Republican Party in the final weeks of his presidency.
Bolton tweeted on Saturday that apparently Trump’s “last goal is to tear apart his party” and that the US president is “lighting the torch to his own political funeral pyre by attacking Republicans who dare not kiss his ring”.
Apparently, @realdonaldtrump's last goal is to tear apart his party. He's lighting the torch to his own political funeral pyre by attacking Republicans who dare not kiss his ring. https://t.co/bt9SRlR3QI
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) January 2, 2021
The remarks came a few days after Trump urged South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to launch a primary challenge against John Thune, the second-ranking Senate Republican.
“I hope to see the great Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem, run against RINO Senator […] Thune, in the upcoming 2022 Primary. She would do a fantastic job in the US Senate […]", Trump tweeted on Friday.
I hope to see the great Governor of South Dakota @KristiNoem, run against RINO @SenJohnThune, in the upcoming 2022 Primary. She would do a fantastic job in the U.S. Senate, but if not Kristi, others are already lining up. South Dakota wants strong leadership, NOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2021
Trump has often used the derogatory acronym “RINO” – short for Republican in Name Only – against those he has perceived as opposed to him. Thune, who is the Senate majority whip, angered POTUS in December, when he described Trump's drive for a challenge to the Electoral College results as something that would “go down like a shot dog”.
In mid-December, the Electoral College vote resulted in Biden passing the threshold of 270 electoral votes required for him to become president, as he secured 306 endorsements, while Trump received 232 votes in total.
With the votes set to be certified by the US Congress on 6 January, Trump is still refusing to concede, citing “voter fraud” during the 3 November US presidential election.
As for Bolton’s Saturday tweet, it was posted after Trump berated him as “one of the dumbest people in Washington”, following the former national security adviser’s criticism of the president over reports that POTUS had considered implementing martial law “to rerun” the elections under military supervision.
“He's [Trump] unfit for the job. I don’t think he’s ever read the Constitution. If he has, he clearly didn’t understand it, and if he did understand it at one point, he’s forgotten it”, Bolton told CNN.
In a previous interview with the US news outlet, he asserted that Joe Biden would be sworn in on schedule in January, claiming that "the real question is how much damage [President Donald] Trump can do before that happens".
Bolton-Trump Feud
POTUS has repeatedly slammed Bolton since he dismissed him in September 2019 following failed negotiations between the US and the Taliban.
The White House unsuccessfully tried to block the publication of the book, citing security concerns over the "unauthorised disclosure of classified information".
In his memoir, Bolton depicts Trump as a president who was easily manipulated by the leaders of China, Russia, Turkey, and even North Korea. Trump has slammed the book as "a compilation of lies and made-up stories", suggesting it was an attempt to get revenge for his sacking.
