Former national security adviser John Bolton suggested that President Donald Trump's personal and financial interests have driven his actions on Turkey in a private speech last week, NBC News reports.
Six people who attended the speech, which was delivered last Wednesday in Miami at a private meeting during Morgan Stanley's global investment summit, said that Bolton questioned Trump's relying on his business experience when it comes to foreign policy, saying that simply moving on to the next deal like in real estate doesn't work in international relations.
Bolton also said he was most frustrated with Trump's handling of Turkey, recalling the strong bipartisan support that Congress had in sanctioning Turkey after the purchase of a Russian missile defense system, which Trump resisted. Bolton described Trump in this case as unreasonable, according to people present.
He said that he suspects a personal or business relationship of Trump's is directing his position on Turkey, since none of his advisers agree with him on this. Trump himself admitted that his Trump Organization property in Istanbul poses "a little conflict of interest" during an interview in 2015, according to NBC.
When asked about what could happen if Trump wins a second term, Bolton made a derisive remark about White House advisers Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, her husband Jared Kushner, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., according to three people.
Bolton said that Kushner and Ivanka Trump could get Trump to nominate a more liberal judge to the Supreme Court. He reportedly rolled his eyes after making the suggestion, and added that they could do so in an attempt to be taken seriously and prove they have an influence for their friends in New York City.
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