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Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton

Washington, May 18 (RHC)-- Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has reacted to claims by his former boss in the White House, Donald Trump, that he maintains strong ties with high profile world leaders, insisting that they actually think he’s a "laughing fool.”

Bolton made the mocking remarks this week, after Trump’s controversial statement during the recent CNN presidential town hall, when he claimed he would settle the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours if he wins presidency and that the conflict would never have happened if he had won a second term in 2020.

“I have been in those rooms with him when he met with those leaders, I believe they think he’s a laughing fool,” Bolton told CNN, referring to the Russian, Chinese and North Korean leaders in particular.

“And the idea that somehow his presence in office would have deterred [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is flatly wrong,” so claimed Bolton, who himself has made numerous controversial and false remarks.  Bolton went on to state that Trump’s insistence that he could negotiate with Putin to end the war in a day, “shows he’s utterly out of touch what the war is all about." 

Since the onset of the conflict between the two countries, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced weapons into Ukraine to pursue a major war against Moscow despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the conflict.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Bolton denounced as “virtually treasonous” Trump’s suggestion that he would consider pardoning January 6 rioters if he wins re-election to the White House.  “It’s another example why he’s not fit to be president.  If anybody wants to know what a Trump administration would look like, when he’s pardoning the people who rioted on January 6th, I think that’s all you need to know.”