John Bolton calls Trump political philosophy ‘performance art’

Former national security adviser John Bolton called the political philosophy of former President Trump “performance art” as Bolton mulls a potential 2024 presidential bid.

Bolton, who served in the Trump administration from 2018 to 2019, told NBC’s Ali Velshi on Saturday that the “fundamental point in politics is philosophy.”

“Everything else flows from that. Donald Trump has no philosophy,” Bolton said. “Donald Trump doesn’t think in policy terms. There is no Trumpism. And there is no real succession to Donald Trump.”

Bolton said Trump is an outlier in the GOP with no clear vision for the party’s future.

“It’s not a conservative philosophy; it’s not philosophy at all,” he said. “It’s performance art. That’s what Donald Trump is.”

Bolton rejected the notion there is a “Trump movement out there,” citing the November midterm elections, in which Trump’s endorsed candidates largely lost up and down the ballot.

“This whole thing represents that Donald Trump is an aberration in American politics,” he said. “It’s the job of the Republican Party to repair the damage that’s been done.”

Bolton, who was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President George W. Bush, is joining a number of Republicans who have spoken out against Trump since the GOP’s disappointing results in the midterms.

Trump announced his 2024 White House bid last month, but Republicans are increasingly wary of his electability.

Trump drew criticism across the political spectrum for dining with the antisemitic rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and the white supremacist Nick Fuentes last month, and was ridiculed last week for a “major announcement” about digital trading cards.

The former president also called to terminate parts of the Constitution after Twitter owner Elon Musk released internal files about the suppression of a story about Hunter Biden before the 2020 election, leading to rebukes from both Democrats and Republicans.

Earlier this month, Bolton slammed Trump for the Constitution comments and said he would “seriously consider” running in 2024 if the former president is not rejected by the Republican Party.

On Saturday, Bolton said he had not yet made up his mind on 2024, but if he does run it would be to “win the nomination” and not to “make a point.”

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