The quiz this week, dear students, is how many former members of the Trump administration have either been fired, resigned, or a little bit of both?
The recent firing or resignation of John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser, prompts this pop quiz. From Alexander Acosta to Ryan Zinke, or from A to Z, Trump’s revolving door has spun ceaselessly, and the nation has watched them come and go, either unable to endure an unpredictable, irascible boss or Trump’s inability to tolerate insubordination.
Bolton’s recent departure—and we use that word advisedly since we are still waiting to hear exactly what happened—has left the administration once again without a key figure when it comes to foreign and domestic affairs.
When word came that Bolton was no longer a member of Trump’s inner sanctum, the “enemy of the people,” to use Trump’s definition of the press and the media, offered mixed versions of his departure—had he resigned before he was fired or forced to resign after a reported heated argument between them over the now-dead deal with the Taliban?
“I informed John Bolton last night,” Trump tweeted, “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 I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning.”
Well, there you are and there is probably as much truth in that as it is in the likelihood of Hurricane Dorian hitting Alabama; that there were record numbers at his inauguration; and that the reason Hillary Clinton got more votes than him in 2016 was because of voter fraud.
Whatever the truth in this matter, Bolton is gone, and in one way it’s good riddance because we have one less war hawk to deal with. But Trump will only rotate another one in his place and it’s a good bet he will be worse.
Even if he is worse, the chances of him lasting through the end of Trump’s term is unlikely, given the length of stay of too many of the previous folks selected to ride in Trump’s buckboard.
At each bump in the road, each failure to kowtow to the boss’s will, his highly developed ego means another one bounces over the rail and hits the dirt.
Bolton is the latest to hit the road and we are ready to wager who will be next to go. Oh, by the way, we have counted 55 major departures from Trump’s administration. But like Trump’s math and geography, this may not be exactly accurate, give or take a few.
Yes, we’ve watched a number of departures but there is one we are still waiting for: to Make America Great Again—Trump Must Go!