Trump Fired John Bolton As National Security Adviser

Bolton is the third person to serve as national security adviser in the Trump administration.

Donald Trump fired US national security adviser John Bolton in a tweet Tuesday, following a week of reports that the two sparred over the president's plan to meet with Taliban officials at Camp David to negotiate the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.

"I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House," Trump tweeted. "I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration."

....I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.

Bolton posted soon after the president's announcement that he had offered to resign Monday, and Trump told him, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Minutes after posting the tweet, Bolton reportedly texted a number of journalists from various news outlets, among them Washington Post reporter Robert Costa and Fox News reporter Brian Kilmeade, emphasizing that he had resigned and had not been fired.

Ambassador Bolton sends me a text message just now: “Let’s be clear, I resigned, having offered to do so last night.”

Trump's tweet came about an hour after the White House announced that Bolton was scheduled to appear at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.

Trump and Bolton appeared to clash often on diplomacy and foreign policy issues and Bolton was reportedly troubled by the president's efforts to soften relationships with North Korea, Iran, and Afghanistan.

The national security adviser was notably not present when Trump historically met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Demilitarized Zone on the Korean Peninsula in June.

Most recently, Bolton opposed Trump signing a peace agreement with the Taliban in order to fulfill his campaign promise of brining home troops from Afghanistan. Bolton reportedly urged the president to reject the agreement and not invite the leaders of the Taliban to Camp David in the days before the Sept. 11 anniversary.

Bolton became the national security adviser in 2018, replacing H.R. McMaster. Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, is the third person to serve the position in the Trump administration.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.

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