Ambassador John Bolton.
He was Donald Trump's
national security adviser.
Ambassador, thanks for taking the time
this afternoon.
Glad to be with you.
I'm going to dispense
with the word unprecedented.
We broke that word a long time ago,
but here we are
for approaching criminal trials
in the midst of a presidential campaign
and those trials
involving the leading GOP candidate
for the nomination.
I wonder,
what does your party look like
on the other side?
Of this, regardless of the outcome
Well, I think the outcome is everything.
I mean,
I know the news
channels will beat every detail of this
send to the ground,
but I think the one thing
that's going to change
people's minds is a conviction,
which I think would be an earthquake
in the political environment
or on the other end,
an acquittal or a hung jury
which which Trump would spin
essentially is an acquittal
that could give him
the Republican nomination
and could give him the election
in November of 20, 24.
I think the problem
for the Republican Party
let's just
take the classified documents case
tentatively scheduled for the end of May.
That's after
most of the Republican primaries
and caucuses.
So to make the point
to Republican primary voters,
you've got to say
think about the potential
that if you vote for Donald Trump,
by the time we come to our
convention in August,
he could be a convicted felon.
So do you really want to vote
for Donald Trump?
Even if you don't mind
voting for a convicted felon
for president?
I think
a lot more Republicans
will be bothered by that
than people think.
The broader
public is certainly going
to be bothered from it
and it could be catastrophic
for the Republican Party.
Let me ask you this.
You told my colleague Laura Coates
a few weeks ago
that August could be an important point
for the Republican Party
if candidates had not by this time
shown an ability to lead Trump
but to be Trump,
that they should get out of the race.
In effect,
coalesce around a genuine challenger.
We haven't seen that.
We haven't seen that yet.
Do you see that still is possible?
And do you see someone who has emerged
as at least a potential challenger
Sure.
I think the August 23rd
debate is
is going to be
a potentially pivotal moment.
And I think, for example,
Mayor Suarez of Miami
who is not qualified for the debate stage
himself, has already said
if you don't qualify
for that first debate,
maybe you should get out.
And I think a lot of people
will be looking to see
if anybody catches
fire on the debate stage.
And if they don't,
I do think the pressure to winnow
the field will be substantial.
There are other candidates
who could come in.
Governor Yang, kind of Virginia, Governor
Kemp of Georgia. That's possible, too.
But the fact is that that to clarify the
the the race
to be able to give people a chance
who don't want Donald Trump,
who who I think
are a much higher percentage of the party
that are indicated
the in the national polls
that field needs to be cold.
You have
spoken publicly you've written publicly
about Trump as president as it relates
to international affairs
and national security
and decisions
you described as dangerous
and the potential of his return.
How does the world see
the current environment here in the U.S.
politically with Trump
still is a far away
favorite for the GOP nomination
for criminal trials, his possible return?
What are allies and adversaries thinking
as they watch this
Well, I've talked to people
all over the world,
and I think
from the point of view of our friends,
they're pretty disturbed
about the prospect Trump might come back
the threat he poses to Nadeau
and to other alliances.
I have to say they're also
pretty upset
about the prospect of Joe Biden
who is in on the job.
24, seven
or Kamala
Harris being elected
from the Democratic side.
So I can't really deal much with
with what the Democrats decide to do.
But to me, it's just a further indication
that to solve the Trump problem,
it's got to be solved by Republicans.
And we need to find somebody
who can who can beat Trump,
which I think is doable.
It's just with these trials coming up,
you have to have a double bank
shot, as in Paul,
to be able to assess
what the risk might be
if you're voting before
the trials have taken place.
That's why I think
the two federal
trials are
the best ones to bring forward.
And if I had my druthers,
in a perfect world,
I'd try
the classified documents case first.
Ambassador Bolton, we'll be watching that
and we'll be watching this upcoming
debate as well.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
Thanks for having me.