cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/18473652

A former national security adviser in the Donald Trump White House has said that the ex-president ā€œhasnā€™t got the brainsā€ to helm a dictatorship, despite his admiration for such rulers.

In an interview with the conservative French outlet Le Figaro, John Bolton, 75, was asked whether Trump had tendencies that mirror dictators like the ones he has previously praised. Bolton not only disparaged Trumpā€™s intellectual capacity, he also disparaged the former presidentā€™s professional background, exclaiming: ā€œHeā€™s a property developer, for Godā€™s sake!ā€

Now a vocal critic of Trump, Bolton served as the former presidentā€™s national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019. Bolton had previously served as US ambassador to the UN during George W Bushā€™s presidency, developing a reputation as a foreign policy hawk.

Boltonā€™s remarks to Le Figaro suggesting Trump is not smart enough to be a dictator will almost certainly do little to allay fears on the political left at home or abroad about a second Trump presidency.

After all, Trump has suggested he plans to be a dictator, if only for the first day of his presidency if he were re-elected.

  • Maple Engineer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    35
    Ā·
    edit-2
    8 months ago

    That isnā€™t the issue. Once heā€™s elected he continues the work of tearing apart US democracy until heā€™s no longer needed and the christofascists install an actual dictator. Trump is a useful idiot.

    • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      Ā·
      8 months ago

      Exactly, he is being used as a puppet BECAUSE he is a complete moron. When he is done being useful he in the trash with Snuffleupagus.

  • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    Ā·
    8 months ago

    What Iā€™m realizing is that fascism is not strictly top down. Itā€™s also bottom up. Some people at all levels want this and will act without direct orders.

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      Ā·
      8 months ago

      Back in WW2 the Occupied French put it this way; it isnā€™t the big Hitler in Berlin that makes our lives miserable, itā€™s the million little Hitlers in Paris who make us suffer.

      • TVgog56789@lemy.lolOPM
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        Ā·
        8 months ago

        Thatā€™s so true. Itā€™s always the little Hitlers that empowers the big one.

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      Ā·
      8 months ago

      It does work from the bottom down if you think about it. The small elections people donā€™t bother with, like school board positions and such, are where the fascist Karens thrive and itā€™s where they can do damage like fuck up your kids lives and education with their bullshit.

    • LostWon@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      Ā·
      8 months ago

      I guess in a way it can be thought of as virulent ideological malevolence.

  • eletes@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    Ā·
    8 months ago

    Him not having the brains doesnā€™t stop him from listening to Stephen Miller or project 2025 folks

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    Ā·
    8 months ago

    Fascists donā€™t care about their leader ā€¦ all they care about is grabbing power and control.

    How they do it doesnā€™t matter

    Who is leading them doesnā€™t matter

    Once they have total power, they can make up whatever they want to justify anything and everything they say or do.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    Ā·
    8 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Meanwhile, as seeks a second term in the White House, the incumbent Joe Biden has warned that Trump ā€“ the lone remaining contender for the Republican nomination ā€“ and his allies are ā€œdetermined to destroy American democracyā€.

    Trump recently provided fuel for that argument by hosting Hungaryā€™s autocratic prime minister Viktor OrbĆ”n at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

    Trump, furthermore, is known to have lavished praise on leaders considered opposed to US democratic ideals and foreign policy interests, including North Koreaā€™s Kim Jong-un and Chinaā€™s Xi Jinping.

    Bolton nonetheless claimed Trump ā€“ who is grappling with more than 80 pending criminal charges as well as multimillion-dollar civil penalties ā€“ lacks the kind of coherent political philosophy effective dictators require.

    He stoked alarm at a campaign rally earlier in March when ā€“ while musing about how foreign car production affects the US auto industry ā€“ he said: ā€œIf I donā€™t get elected, itā€™s going to be a bloodbath for the whole ā€“ thatā€™s going to be the least of it.

    He told a rally in New Hampshire last year that he wanted to ā€œroot out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on electionsā€.


    The original article contains 751 words, the summary contains 211 words. Saved 72%. Iā€™m a bot and Iā€™m open source!

  • BakedGoods@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    3
    Ā·
    8 months ago

    Why is that corpse talking? People over 60 should be forced to retire and lose their right to vote.