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A review by jmdaly95
The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John Bolton
3.0
The Room Where It Happened
By John Bolton
Book 6 in my collection of Trump Fiction
So this is actually the first Trump book I’ve read from a former member of the Trump Administration from the plethora of what I’ve decided to call Trump Fiction.
Anyone who has paid attention to national politics and foreign relations knows who John Bolton is. He has been a part of the foreign policy apparatus for the past four Republican administrations. Besides holding various posts in the State Department his highest position before accepting the role of National Security Advisor for the Trump Administration was his time as Ambassador to the United Nations under the George W. Bush Administration.
To say that John Bolton is a foreign policy hawk is an understatement, if you were to play Civilization with him he would always go for a domination victory by nuking all of your cities before you had the chance to build a granary.
You will discover quickly while reading The Room Where it Happens that Ambassador Bolton is always the smartest in the room because he will tell you he was. Just like James Comey in ‘A Higher Loyalty’ when you would be informed constantly about his righteousness, Bolton’s constant reminder that I’m the smartest in the room gets on the readers' nerves quickly.
Ambassador Bolton had little use for Niki Haley who was in his old job at the United Nations and felt that she was allowed to go rouge from both Tillerson and Pompeo her bosses at the State Department but after she acted would go to Trump and he would say she had done the right thing.
Bolton expresses several times that James Mattis was an obstructionist to getting the President's agenda pushed through and disagreed with him often in issues of NATO and Iran.
Bolton talks extensively about the lack of a disciplined approach to managing the executive department and blames this on Trump's inability to understand the role of the President and how the Executive Branch of government functions. Bolton takes both John Kelly and Mick Mulvaney to task for never establishing boundaries and order to the chaos that is the Trump experience.
Ambassador Bolton points out several times that President Trump lacks the critical thinking skills and analytical abilities that are needed to successfully be President of the United States. The Ambassador points out that the President does not have an understanding of American History especially when it comes to foreign affairs. He tells a story of having himself and Secretary Pompeo having to repeatedly explain that the Japanese and Korean people have a history of not trusting each other because of the events of the Second World War. This is why Prime Ministers Moon and Abe would disagree about strategies regarding North Korea and how to handle Kim Jong Un.
When it comes to Kim Jong Un Ambassador Bolton explicitly condemns the strategy and approach Trump has taken. He disavows it and states that Trump is a fool not to realize that he is being played by the Dear Leader.
Overall the book is an interesting read by someone who is attempting to save himself from future historians.
Overall I give it three stars because its self severing in the long run and not objective in the role he played in enabling an Administration that has endangered the Republic.
By John Bolton
Book 6 in my collection of Trump Fiction
So this is actually the first Trump book I’ve read from a former member of the Trump Administration from the plethora of what I’ve decided to call Trump Fiction.
Anyone who has paid attention to national politics and foreign relations knows who John Bolton is. He has been a part of the foreign policy apparatus for the past four Republican administrations. Besides holding various posts in the State Department his highest position before accepting the role of National Security Advisor for the Trump Administration was his time as Ambassador to the United Nations under the George W. Bush Administration.
To say that John Bolton is a foreign policy hawk is an understatement, if you were to play Civilization with him he would always go for a domination victory by nuking all of your cities before you had the chance to build a granary.
You will discover quickly while reading The Room Where it Happens that Ambassador Bolton is always the smartest in the room because he will tell you he was. Just like James Comey in ‘A Higher Loyalty’ when you would be informed constantly about his righteousness, Bolton’s constant reminder that I’m the smartest in the room gets on the readers' nerves quickly.
Ambassador Bolton had little use for Niki Haley who was in his old job at the United Nations and felt that she was allowed to go rouge from both Tillerson and Pompeo her bosses at the State Department but after she acted would go to Trump and he would say she had done the right thing.
Bolton expresses several times that James Mattis was an obstructionist to getting the President's agenda pushed through and disagreed with him often in issues of NATO and Iran.
Bolton talks extensively about the lack of a disciplined approach to managing the executive department and blames this on Trump's inability to understand the role of the President and how the Executive Branch of government functions. Bolton takes both John Kelly and Mick Mulvaney to task for never establishing boundaries and order to the chaos that is the Trump experience.
Ambassador Bolton points out several times that President Trump lacks the critical thinking skills and analytical abilities that are needed to successfully be President of the United States. The Ambassador points out that the President does not have an understanding of American History especially when it comes to foreign affairs. He tells a story of having himself and Secretary Pompeo having to repeatedly explain that the Japanese and Korean people have a history of not trusting each other because of the events of the Second World War. This is why Prime Ministers Moon and Abe would disagree about strategies regarding North Korea and how to handle Kim Jong Un.
When it comes to Kim Jong Un Ambassador Bolton explicitly condemns the strategy and approach Trump has taken. He disavows it and states that Trump is a fool not to realize that he is being played by the Dear Leader.
Overall the book is an interesting read by someone who is attempting to save himself from future historians.
Overall I give it three stars because its self severing in the long run and not objective in the role he played in enabling an Administration that has endangered the Republic.