Mark Groombridge, a former aide to current Trump national security adviser John Bolton, says that his former boss is likely staying on his job to stop President Donald Trump from making what he views as horrific strategic errors.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Groombridge said that Bolton probably doesn't have a very high view of the president's intellect, which is why he feels he's desperately needed to coordinate the White House's national security policy.
"John is thinking, To the extent I can modify or mollify the President’s actions, I will," he explained. "He is truly a patriot. But I wonder how he goes into work every day, because deep in his heart he believes the President is a moron."
Given this, Bolton tailors his messaging to the president in ways that are best suited to hold his short attention span.
"Bolton gets to the point very fast," a senior Administration official told The New Yorker. "He's very brief, and the President appreciates that."
Although Bolton is a much more aggressive hawk than Trump when it comes to using military force, the two of them nonetheless have a shared contempt for international treaties and institutions that they believe constrain American power, one official tells the publication.