Trump & Bolton, Strange Bedfellows Or Comrades In Arms?

Donald Trump campaigned on the issue that the Iraq war was a mistake and a lie. He claims to be opposed to regime change and nation building. So how does it figure that He’d have considered John Bolton, (America’s #1 lounge chair warrior) and super war hawk to be Secretary Of State and now considering him to be Under Secretary Of State?

Is Trump just a living mindless contradiction in the flesh, or was he purposely lying from the get-go?

Trump is a buffoon and Bolton is a whack a doodle.

They seem to make sense as a pair to me.

TheHammer said:

Donald Trump campaigned on the issue that the Iraq war was a mistake and a lie. He claims to be opposed to regime change and nation building. So how does it figure that He’d have considered John Bolton, (America’s #1 lounge chair warrior) and super war hawk to be Secretary Of State and now considering him to be Under Secretary Of State?

Is Trump just a living mindless contradiction in the flesh, or was he purposely lying from the get-go?

Click to expand...

I certainly would have preferred other members of the crew to Bolton.

TheHammer said:

Donald Trump campaigned on the issue that the Iraq war was a mistake and a lie. He claims to be opposed to regime change and nation building. So how does it figure that He’d have considered John Bolton, (America’s #1 lounge chair warrior) and super war hawk to be Secretary Of State and now considering him to be Under Secretary Of State?

Click to expand...

I don't think Trump is a one issue guy. He wants Pitbull Bolton as a symbol 'we' won't be pushed around 'anymore'. Far more into the imagery than the substance. If selected I'm not sure how long Bolton will stay if he is chosen, I can see him getting frustrated with Trump refusing to push as hard as Bolton would want on many key issues.

We have already seen 'angry' Trump do an 180 on 'punishing' corporations who want to move jobs out of the country, I doubt Bolton will understand politicians say one thing and do whatever when actually confronted with the situation.

We live in interesting times... eace

DA60 got it right! (upthread)

TheHammer said:

Donald Trump campaigned on the issue that the Iraq war was a mistake and a lie. He claims to be opposed to regime change and nation building. So how does it figure that He’d have considered John Bolton, (America’s #1 lounge chair warrior) and super war hawk to be Secretary Of State and now considering him to be Under Secretary Of State?

Is Trump just a living mindless contradiction in the flesh, or was he purposely lying from the get-go?

Click to expand...

Trump is just making it up as he goes along.
and it seems to be working. He won the election, after all.
Where he's going now is a mystery, though. Who knows what he will do.

TheHammer said:

Donald Trump campaigned on the issue that the Iraq war was a mistake and a lie. He claims to be opposed to regime change and nation building. So how does it figure that He’d have considered John Bolton, (America’s #1 lounge chair warrior) and super war hawk to be Secretary Of State and now considering him to be Under Secretary Of State?

Is Trump just a living mindless contradiction in the flesh, or was he purposely lying from the get-go?

Click to expand...

Trump has lived his life almost entirely without consequences. He promotes himself with a shotgun approach, and goes with whatever sticks to the wall. He seems to lack any capability whatsoever for introspection and strategic thought.

So maybe we should stop wondering what possible motivations President Trump has, and start asking why is Reality TV Trump doing this. The goal is ratings, airtime, and brand. The thinking is entirely superficial. Bolton makes part of his base happy and if you watch Fox news he shows up when they talk about foreign stuff. I've seen nothing to indicate that Trump knows or cares about policy excepting the very few issues that directly affect him. (and even then... it's a tenuous understanding at best)

Strange bedfellows with a bit of overlap. Nationalism is their overlap, because both are concerned with perceived decline in national sovereignty by international bodies.

However, Bolton is much more interested in maintaining the post-war international order (NATO) than Trump is. Trump is a perennial suck up to the Russians, whereas Bolton is closer to the opposite.