Trump fires National Security Advisor John Bolton over 'Taliban talks disagreement'

The move comes after days of reports that Bolton was opposed to peace talks between the US and the Taliban.

2 min read

10 September, 2019

John Bolton at a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine on 28 August 2019. [Getty]

President Donald Trump fired his National Security Advisor John Bolton in a tweet on Tuesday, ending the Iran hawk's career in the White House.

"I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore," Trump said on Twitter.

"I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week."

The move comes days after reports emerged that Bolton was against President Trump's proposed secret peace talks with the Taliban at Camp David.

Bolton is the fourth National Security to be fired by the Trump Administration.

Bolton responded immediately to the announcement with a tweet of his own.

"I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, 'Let's talk about it tomorrow.'"

Also read: Trump says Afghanistan peace talks are 'dead' after cancelling shock meeting with Taliban

The announcement came just before Bolton was to appear beside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin at a press briefing.

Bolton has long pushed for a more aggressive US foreign policy, and was staunchly against the pull-out of American troops from Iraq and most recently from Afghanistan.

The Washington Post reported that his "opposition to the diplomatic effort in Afghanistan has irritated President Trump, [senior US] officials said, and led aides to leave the National Security Council out of sensitive discussions about the agreement".

Bolton has advocated for war with Iran multiple times in the past, and even wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times in 2015 about Washington to push for regime change in Iran.

The Guardian reported that news of Bolton's firing has reverberated around the world, with the price of oil plummeting right after the announcement.