After former President Donald Trump asserted with no evidence that Iran would never have attacked Israel if he had been president, he was swiftly called out by his former national security adviser John Bolton, who called his claim "delusional."
On Sunday morning, Iran initiated a barrage of over 300 drones and missiles aimed at Israel. The Israeli defense system, bolstered by support from allies such as the U.S. and the U.K., successfully intercepted the incoming projectiles.
The attack is believed to be a retaliatory measure following the recent airstrike targeting Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard generals, an action attributed to Israel and occurring at the country's consulate in Damascus, Syria.
Amid concerns that the attack could spark a wider conflict in the Middle East as Israel continues its war against Hamas against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Trump attributed the attack to "weakness" on the part of the U.S. and said “it would not have happened if we were in office.”
Bolton quickly shut Trump down during an appearance on CNN, saying:
“I just think Trump is delusional on this point. It’s a point that nobody can refute or confirm one way or the other. He doesn’t have any idea what to do in the Middle East in this situation."
"Remember when he threatened fire and fury against North Korea? Within a year he had fallen in love with Kim Jong Un. So he’s not qualified to be president.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Bolton says Biden is an 'embarrassment' to US for urging Israelis not to retaliate against Iranyoutu.be
As far as many were concerned, "delusional" was the perfect word to describe the former president.
Bolton has become one of Trump’s harshest critics since leaving his administration. His book, The Room Where It Happened, reveals salacious details about his time working in the White House.
Trump has scoffed at all of Bolton’s claims and dismissed him as a liar during interviews and in posts to his official Twitter account when it was still active. He often referred to him as “Wacko Bolton” online.
Trump even attempted to stop the publication of Bolton’s book on grounds that he’d “likely published classified materials” and “exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability,” but the lawsuit was tossed out by a federal judge.
Later, Washington Post reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta revealed in their book Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History that Trump said he hoped COVID-19 would “take out” his former national security adviser.