President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he was going to replace National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster with the former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton.
Trump made his announcement with a tweet saying that Bolton will take over on April 9.
“I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9,” Trump tweeted.
Reuters reported that McMaster, who is a decorated three-star army lieutenant general, was going to retire from the military. A White House official stated that the general has been discussing his departure with Trump for some time and both men decided to make his exit official now because the constant speculation about his job status was interfering with his duties.
McMaster’s exit comes shortly after Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and named CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.
This spring, Trump is faced with a number of high-stakes decisions, including the meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as well as the upcoming deadline to extend sanctions relief under the Iran nuclear deal.
Bolton previously worked as Fox News analyst and at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. It was reported that he has been also working as an informal adviser to Trump. Shortly after the news broke, Bolton gave an interview on Fox News where he said that he did not expect the decision to be made official so soon.
“It’s still sinking in, so I haven’t thought about it a great deal,” he told host Martha MacCallum when asked what getting the job means to him.
Bolton, a hawkish neoconservative, has long been advocating war with Iran and a pre-emptive strike on North Korea. He has also been a staunch supporter of the Iraq War. However, Bolton reportedly promised President Trump that if he were hired as national security adviser at the White House, “he wouldn’t start any wars.” This, of course, has surprised many who have expressed doubt as to how truthful his promise is.
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