Bolton: Trump’s ‘act is old and tired now’

Former national security adviser John Bolton said he thinks Republicans are looking for a “fresh face” to lead the party, becoming the latest former Trump ally to suggest the GOP move away from the former president.

Bolton, who served in the Trump White House from 2018 to 2019, pointed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as a possible contender in a recent interview with The Guardian.

“[DeSantis has] had a very successful run as governor of Florida. He won re-election on Nov. 8 with a big majority. A lot of people look to him as the next generation candidate,” Bolton said, according to The Guardian. “That’s one of Trump’s biggest problems – his act is old and tired now.”

Former President Trump officially announced his third bid for president earlier this month, in the face of pushback from within his own party.


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After the GOP’s anticipated “red wave” failed to materialize in the midterm elections, many Republicans placed the blame on the former president and his endorsed candidates for the disappointing results.

Bolton said he has talked to supporters and others about “what happened” in the midterms and that a number of people have “just switched Trump off in their brain.”

“Even if they loved his style, loved his approach, loved his policies, loved everything about him, they don’t want to lose and the fear is, given the results on Nov. 8, that if he got the nomination, not only would he lose the general election, but he would take an awful lot of Republican candidates down with him,” Bolton told The Guardian.

Bolton is not the only former Trump ally to raise concerns about the former president’s role in the party as of late.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who is considering another run for president in 2024, urged the GOP to “stop being afraid of any one person” while speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting last weekend.

“We keep losing and losing and losing,” Christie said. “And the fact of the matter is the reason we’re losing is because Donald Trump has put himself before everyone else.”

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has also teased a potential 2024 run, took a jab at the former president last week as well.

“We were told we’d get tired of winning,” Pompeo said in a tweet. “But I’m tired of losing. And so are most Republicans.”

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