“He thought #Putin was an OK guy & #Kim was an OK guy — that we had pushed #NorthKorea into a corner,” retired Gen #JohnKelly, who served as #Trump’s chief of staff, told me. “To him, it was like we were goading these guys. ‘If we didn’t have #NATO, then Putin wouldn’t be doing these things.’”

Trump’s lavish praise for Hungarian PM #Orbán while hosting him at MarALago on Fri, just days after all but sealing the #Republican nom…, shows it’s a worldview he’s doubling down on.

#BidenHarris2024

“He views himself as a big guy,” #JohnBolton, who served as #NationalSecurity adviser under #Trump, told me. “He likes dealing w/other big guys, & big guys like #Erdogan …get to put people in jail & you don’t have to ask anybody’s permission. He kind of likes that.”

“He’s not a tough guy by any means, but in fact quite the opposite,” #JohnKelly said. “But that’s how he envisions himself.”

Trump allegedly reserved some of his most unnerving praise for #Hitler, who led #Nazi Germany during WWII.

…Trump’s fmr advisers say he most consistently lavished praise on #Russia’s #Putin. Bolton recalled a comment from #Trump during the 2018 #NATO summit.
“He says to the press…, ‘I think the easiest meeting might be w/ Vladimir Putin. Who would ever think that?’” recalled Bolton. “There’s an answer to that question. Only 1 person. You. You are the only person who would think that. The shrinks can make of that what they will, but I think it was,‘…I wish I could act like they do.’”

#BidenHarris2024

…#Trump’s affinity for authoritarians represents a defining issue for the #UnitedStates as the #2024election approaches. Several of his own fmr advisers believe, in a 2nd term, he would bring a fundamental shift in the US’ vision of itself & its role in the #world, including potentially pulling the US out of #NATO & reducing the US’ commitment to other defense #alliances.

“NATO would be in real jeopardy,” Bolton told me. “I think he would try to get out.”

#BidenHarris2024 #democracy

Many veterans of the #Trump admin have a similar warning for #Ukraine as it battles #Russia’s invasion. “US support for Ukraine would end,” said a snr US official who served under Trump & #Biden.

“The point is, he saw absolutely no point in #NATO,” Kelly said. “He was just dead set against having troops in #SouthKorea, again, a deterrent force, or having troops in #Japan, a #deterrent force.”

#BidenHarris2024 #democracy #vote #ForeignPolicy #military #veterans