John Bolton's Book "The Room Where it Happened" is a very interesting account of what happened during his tenure and what government officials, world leaders and Trump said in the White House and in other places. The stories told are quite amazing and sometimes shocking. The stories are not classified information as the book has been carefully vetted. People on the left may have a hard time with the book because they do not like Bolton, or they disagree with his dislike for Democrats and Obama. Trump supporters may not want to even consider reading this book. Therefore, this book may be more for centrist/independents, or people not so invested in their politics that they at least are open to entertaining the idea that the Trump Presidency is a disaster. I would still encourage everyone to try to read it because it contains so much important information about what has been going on over the last few years.
The book describes intrigues, conflicts, dysfunction and a President who is vindictive, thoughtless, incompetent, unpredictable, does things on a whim, and who will not listen and cannot learn. He refuses to understand US national security issues and how alliances and international relations work. He is ignorant of even the basic knowledge of government affairs and the world and he has an enormous ego. The way I interpret what Bolton is saying about the impeachment process is that Trump has done things for which he should or could be impeached and convicted. However, the impeachment process was too narrow and too partisan, the second article was BS, and Bolton’s testimony would not have made a difference.
There were some things that stood out to me. When Xi Jinping was telling Trump that there were political figures in the US hostile to China Trump assumed, he meant Democrats and answered, “Trump said approvingly that there was great hostility among the Democrats. He then, stunningly turned the conversation to the coming US Presidential election, alluding to China’s economic capability to affect the campaigns, pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win”. A few pages after this statement Trump encouraged Xi to put a Chinese ethnic minority in concentration camps. The page before, during negotiations to release two American citizens held hostage by China, Xi told Trump they are dual citizens. Trump just said "OK", shrugged his shoulders, and dropped it. So much for caring about American citizens.
Another example is when Trump’s ego allowed Kim Jong Un (North Korea) to play him like a fiddle and give away US negotiating advantages to North Korea, especially joint military exercises. About the Kurds Trump said, “I don’t like the Kurds. They ran from the Iraqis, they ran from the Turks, the only time they don’t run is when we’re are bombing all around them with F-18s”. Trump’s pressure campaigns involving Halkbank, ZTE, and Huawei and others could be classified as “high crimes and misdemeanors” according to Bolton. Whether the Ukraine saga was impeachable or not, Trump’s behavior was disturbing and highly inappropriate to Bolton (and me). Trump threatened to adjourn Congress, wrongly citing a constitutional provision that has never been used. Trump said, “when somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s got to be”.
The list of things that I found deeply disturbing is quite long. However, the many quite ignorant things that Trump said that Bolton mentions are both disturbing but also quite entertaining. Trump expressed great surprise when Theresa May told Trump that Britain was a Nuclear Power. Trump told Xi that he was the greatest Chinese leader in 300 years. Then the time when Trump arrives very late for the preparations for the meeting with the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and someone says the Japanese might be our best allies to which Trump angrily responds that they attacked Pearl Harbor. When the CFO of Huawei is arrested for espionage Trump said, “we have just arrested the Ivanka Trump of China”. When Trump thought Finland was part of Russia (remember he was going there for a meeting with Putin). When Trump agreed to recognize Guaido as the leader of Venezuela during the civil strife to get rid of Maduro Trump added unhelpfully “I want him to say he will be extremely loyal to the United States and no one else”. As a side note, Maduro was able to stay on largely thanks to Trump’s incompetence.
Another example, the 2014 NATO Cardiff agreement requires all member states to spend 2% of their GDP on self-defense/military by 2024. Trump thought that meant that countries should spend 2% on NATO (well he most likely still think so). United States spends 4% of GDP on its military, which includes domestic defenses, Afghanistan, Middle East, Asia, NATO, everything. However, Trump thinks it means spending 4% on NATO, which is false, and no one can convince him otherwise. Trump spent the NATO summit berating NATO countries and even countries not part of NATO (Ukraine) referring to the false idea that US pay 4% of GDP to NATO and they pay less. Sure I (and John Bolton) agree that the Cardiff agreement should be followed but Trump's repeated lengthy attacks on the other members were misguided in its delivery.
This book is really a large collection like the examples I’ve given. It is therefore quite interesting and entertaining reading. Who doesn’t like a few hundred crazy stories involving the world’s leaders, especially with Trump acting like Basil Fawlty on the world stage? It was sometimes hard to put this quite large book down. It was also disturbing reading. You certainly won’t feel that you are in good hands after reading this book.
I didn’t agree with all of Bolton’s opinions and agendas and I think he is trying a bit too hard to appear to be the one who held it all together while it was still possible for him to stay on. However, the book conveys important information, it is well written, and Bolton is surely a great storyteller. I highly recommend this book.
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Bolton Tried In Every Way Possible to do His Job...and Failed...
If Donald Trump had not been president. In my opinion, John Bolton would never have written the book that he did. I knew little about Bolton...and I knew little about Trump--before they walked into the White House...The thing is, until Bolton walked into The Room, I don't think he realized that it could have been...so...bad... There were rumors about Bolton, but I had little desire to do much research on him. What I saw in this book was a man who, though he may have had strong feelings about some issues, he had, probably, more experience and extensive knowledge than any other individual assembled in that room. He read a lot...worked hard...and took notes... This book is based upon those notes, now being shared across the world, including his personal thoughts and attempts to act...and his thoughts about that failure...By the time I finished the book, I had no real personal feelings about Bolton. I already hated Trump if that at all responds to your questions about prejudice. What I did know about Bolton at the end of the book was that--on every single issue that was dealt with in the book, I knew enough about the issue to be able to evaluate Bolton's response. I was amazed! Not necessarily about his decisions about this issue or that...but that he had prepared to provide the President with the best possible information and options that were available. And, that he was not afraid to speak out to the president with disagreement--he was no "yes man."Bolton was dealing with both the reality of the situation, but he was also dealing with Trump and the other individuals surrounding him. What he saw was that each had an agenda which they were quite willing to share with Trump's ear only. Bolton soon realized that there were many personal opinions that had nothing to do with the "good of the United States..."There is chapter after chapter that proceeds through the months during which Bolton served as National Security Adviser. But I think that the Ukraine incident is, perhaps, the most outstanding in pure debacle:It was the issue upon which impeachment occurred. Bolton's comments on that are in the last chapter.Trump had a personal agenda with Guiliani, et. al., carrying on a separate investigation under Trump's direct supervision.Trump was attempting to blackmail the new president of the Ukraine by seeking a formal investigation on the family of his 2020 presidential opponent.Congress had earlier committed money for Ukraine as they were working to create their independence from Russia.Trump attempted to hold off sending that money to Ukraine until he got what he wanted. He finally approved submission just hours before the budget director would have been unable to legally send it at end of year.The president of Ukraine spoke of his relief that he was not required to investigate per Trump's demands.In deliberate intent or for retaliation for telling the truth during the impeachment, many career professionals lost their long-term positions.The above word phrases are mine; Bolton presented it, as he does for his entire book, in a topical breakdown of issue(s), what was happening, the individuals involved, the options, and the result. This format allowed what was not earlier provided. The view/ear of what was happening inside that White House room, and elsewhere.I was happy to have the opportunity to read Bolton's book. Although it is extremely complex and involved with all the issues facing the White House since Trump hired Bolton as National Security Adviser, it provides ample opportunity to "see the ending" of what was announced before it was even in the planning stage as Trump is prone to do. If you have an interest in knowing more of the picture, I consider this a must-read. And if you are still undecided about the November election, I consider this also a must-read. John Bolton has already announced that he will not be voting for Trump...GABixlerReviews
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