Who is Throwing Whom Under a Bus?

Trump, Kim, Bolton: Who is Throwing Whom Under a Bus?

 

May 18, 2018

David Suissa

Press have reported that Trump is distancing himself from Security Advisor John Bolton after Bolton brought up “the Libyan model,” as a framework for North Korean de-nuclearization. The statement angered North Korea, seemingly because of the idea of regime change implicit in the analogy. Is Kim throwing Trump and his diplomatic efforts under the bus because of Bolton’s words? Did Bolton intentionally throw Trump under the bus in order to torpedo the summit? Or will Trump throw Bolton under the bus to save the summit? 

 
Did Trump Throw Bolton Under the Bus? 

Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal:

“

A reporter tried to provoke Mr. Trump Thursday about the “comment that Ambassador Bolton made about the Libya model of de-nuclearization,” and he took the bait. “Yeah. Well, the Libyan model isn’t a model that we have at all, when we’re thinking of North Korea. In Libya, we decimated that country,” Mr. Trump replied... This quickly became Mr. Bolton under the bus. Except the two men are talking about two different events... Mr. Bolton was referring to the 2003 events and saying the U.S. wants comparable assurances from North Korea... 

Did Bolton Throw Trump Under the Bus?  

Edward Luce & Rana Foroohar, Financial Times:

 

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I have no proof but I find it hard to believe Bolton has not been deliberately trying to reduce the chances of a summit ever happening. He understands Trump well enough to know the risk he would submit to the mood music and cut a deal that fell well short of genuine de-nuclearisation.I write this note from Singapore, which was to have played host to the summit — and may yet still... Kim is testing Trump’s mettle.

Did Kim Throw Trump Under the Bus? 

 

David Frum, The Atlantic:

 

“No, they will not de-nuclearize. And oh, by the way, it’s Trump who must pay tribute to them... “It doesn’t matter what damn lie we tell, so long as we all tell the same damn lie.” The leaky Trump White House has seldom disciplined itself to converge upon a same damn lie. This time, though, they may really have no choice—and may have left the rest of the world with no choice except to pretend to believe them, as the only way to avert a disastrous war under a discredited president.

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