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Trump a 'useful idiot' to Putin claims ex-security advisor John Bolton, with threats of a 'third term' being taken seriously
23 February 2025, 12:07 | Updated: 23 February 2025, 12:09
Trump's ex-security advisor has called his former boss a "useful idiot" to Putin, as he told LBC the US President's desire to run for a third term in office are being taken serious by insiders.
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Speaking exclusively on Sunday with Lewis Goodall, the former White House insider touched on the prospect of an unprecedented third term, explaining that Trump's inner circle are "urging him to do it".
"I think the 22nd Amendment's pretty clear he can't run for a third term. But that doesn't mean they won't think about it," he admitted.
"I think the more they do that, though, the closer they come to the point where people realise that Trump is a lame duck. First president since Grover Cleveland to be a new president and a lame duck president at the same time."
Under the United States constitution, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice".
It comes as Bolton, a former American government official - who served as Trump's national security adviser between 2018 and 2019 - admitted that Trump's "180-degree U-turn on Ukraine" came as something as a surprise to him.
Recent days have seen Trump refer to Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a "dictator" - as he blasted European leaders including Starmer and Macron, saying they had "done nothing" to avert conflict with Russia.
John Bolton anticipates Trump will try and withdraw from NATO
"I have to say, even I was surprised that the near 180-degree U-turn on Ukraine, where the US has really all but surrendered key elements of Ukraine's position and what had been the position of the United States and the NATO alliance - even before talks with the Russians began.
"I don't see that improving over the near term," he admitted.
Asked why relations between Zelenskyy and Trump had descended into what is effectively a sharp exchange of insults, Bolton said it stemmed back to the "perfect" phone call between the leader and Trump in the summer of 2019.
Bolton described how Trump "essentially threatened to withhold security assistance to Ukraine if Zelensky didn't cooperate in Trump's political desire to find the famous Hillary Clinton computer server and uncover what he saw were Ukrainian actions in the 2016 election in favour of Clinton, and against him, that obviously led to the first impeachment."
"Despite Zelensky's recent efforts to try to create a better relationship with Trump, that's obviously failed. And then, of course, on the other side, Trump thinks Vladimir Putin is his friend."
John Bolton anticipates Trump will try and withdraw from NATO
Pushed on speculation that Trump's U-turn is linked to online suggestions that he may be a former Russian asset, Bolton said: "It might be better, might be more accurate, to say what has been attributed to Vladimir Lenin, that people like Trump are useful idiots.
"Trump certainly performs as a useful idiot in advancing what Putin and the Russians seem to want," he added.
Bolton added that ahead of Starmer meeting with the US President, the Prime Minister will need to talk up Trump's legacy to force a change of heart on Ukraine.
It comes as the Prime Minister warned on Sunday that the US must work with Ukraine to achieve peace.
Speaking from the Scottish Labour Conference on Sunday, Starmer vowed to "stand with Ukraine and put them in the best possible position".
"We can be proud that we stood up," he said.
"I’m proud that we’ve shown once again that we are a nation that won’t be cowled by threats and tyranny."
Writing on Sunday, Starmer said: "Ukraine must have a voice in negotiations about its future. And it needs strong security guarantees so the peace will last.