John Bolton took exception to CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert calling him “naive” for going to work for the Trump administration, with the former national security adviser explaining that he thought it was possible to work with the president when he took the job in 2018.
“My rule is, everything you think about Donald Trump is probably true, because he’s not deep enough to get your socks wet in. He’s incredibly readable. That’s why when he ran casinos, the house lost,” Colbert said. “There’s nothing to learn about him. That’s why he’s essentially a boring person. How did you not know beforehand that he was just callow?”
“Because I couldn’t believe it was that bad,” Bolton, who is currently on a media tour to promote his new book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” responded.
“But you’re a national negotiator, how could you be naive?” the host pressed. “You’ve dealt with the worst people in the world.”
“You’ve really insulted me now by calling me naive,” Bolton shot back. “Look, I thought it was possible to work with somebody. I thought surely they would want to learn about the complexities of arms control negotiations and that sort of thing, and as I detail in the book, that turned out not to be true.”
Bolton also reiterated that he won’t be voting for his former boss or presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in November.
“I worry about them both. This is a terrible election from my perspective,” he added.
Bolton’s scathing portrayal of Trump was released on Tuesday.