Former NSA John Bolton draws flak for saying 'there’ll be celebrations in Kremlin' if Trump is elected

WASHINGTON, DC: In a recent interview on MSNBC's 'Inside with Jen Psaki', former national security adviser John Bolton unleashed scathing criticism against former President Donald Trump, cautioning that a Trump reelection would be cause for celebration in the Kremlin.

Bolton's remarks, made on Sunday, February 18, highlighted concerns over Trump's perceived vulnerability to manipulation by the Russian government.

John Bolton's critique

"If Trump is elected, there’ll be celebrations in the Kremlin," Bolton asserted during the interview and continued, "There’s no doubt about it because Putin thinks that he is an easy mark."

Bolton's comments come amid a backdrop of shifting geopolitical dynamics, with Russian President Vladimir Putin offering mixed signals regarding his preference for US leadership.

While Putin has previously praised Trump, his recent remarks veered towards an endorsement of President Biden, citing him as a "more predictable" leader—a sentiment that Bolton dismissed as "disinformation."

"Putin really outdid himself," Bolton remarked, referring to Putin's characterization of Biden as a preferable candidate for Russian interests.

"It's part of a pattern. He simply doesn’t want to criticize his friend Putin," Bolton continued, highlighting Trump's reluctance to confront Putin on issues such as the 2020 attempted assassination of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Trump, however, seized upon Putin's comments during a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, leveraging them to bolster his campaign narrative.

"President Putin of Russia has just given me a great compliment, actually," Trump began. "He just said that he would much rather have Joe Biden as president than Trump," he continued and further stated, "Now that's a compliment. ... And of course, he would say that."

"I stopped Nord Stream 2, and [Biden] approved it right after I left, so Putin is not a fan of mine actually," Trump said, referring to a contentious pipeline project intended to transport natural gas from Russia to Europe.

Trump's imposition of sanctions on the pipeline, followed by Biden's subsequent waiver of these sanctions, underscored a fundamental difference in approach towards Russia's energy ambitions—a point Trump emphasized to illustrate Putin's alleged disdain for his administration.

However, Bolton challenged Trump's narrative, accusing him of playing into Putin's hands by prioritizing a personal rapport over diplomatic scrutiny.

“Well, heaven forbid [Trump] say anything critical of Vladimir Putin,” he said and added, “Look, accidents don’t happen in those kinds of Russian prison camps.”

Bolton criticized Trump's reluctance to directly attribute the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to Putin, despite widespread condemnation and allegations of political assassination.

“It’s obviously part of the pattern. He simply doesn’t want to criticize his friend Putin, because in Trump’s mind, if he’s got a good relationship with Putin, the U.S. has a good relationship with Russia,” Bolton continued. “This is the kind of thing that tells Putin that Trump simply doesn’t know what he’s doing," he said.

”Moreover, Bolton cautioned against Trump's mounting legal woes, suggesting that foreign powers could exploit his financial vulnerabilities for strategic gains in international relations.

Trump's recent legal setbacks, including a substantial ruling in a New York business fraud case, raise concerns about potential leverage foreign entities may seek to exert over the former president, The Hill reported.

“I think this is one of the demonstrations why Trump really is not fit for office,” Bolton said. “He is consumed by these troubles, his family is consumed by them. And I think foreigners will try to take advantage of it one way or another. They may be doing it already,” he opined.

Social media backlash

While Bolton's critique garnered attention, it also ignited a firestorm of backlash on social media.

"Said the warmonger," one posted on X.

"Is he promoting his next book?" another asked.

"There was a time when he was all for Trump! What changed?" someone else wondered.

"This from the person who made up WMDs!! I don't believe a word John Bolton says about anything!!" another chimed in. 

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