President Trump announced he had fired national security adviser John Bolton in a pair of tweets on Tuesday, ousting the high-profile officials just days after his canceled a planned meeting with Taliban representatives at Camp David.
Trump said in a series of tweets that he told Bolton on Monday night "that his services are no longer needed at the White House," citing disagreements with many of Bolton's suggestions, though he didn’t provide specific details.
The president also said that "others in the administration" disagreed with Bolton's suggestions, a wording that hinted at the level of acrimony in the split.
"I informed John Bolton last night 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," Trump tweeted.
He said Bolton submitted his resignation on Tuesday and that he would tap a new national security adviser next week.
"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," Trump tweeted.
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Bolton issued a tweet that said he had resigned and that suggested he was surprised by Trump's decision to make it public on Tuesday.
"I offered to resign last night and President Trump said 'Let's talk about it tomorrow," he tweeted.
White House press staff declined to elaborate beyond the president's tweet. Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidely said on Fox News that he didn't want to get into the "back and forth" over how Bolton exited, but he asserted that Trump did ask for Bolton's resignation.
"The fact is, the president makes these decisions. We all serve at his pleasure, and we’re moving forward," he said.
Gidley later told reporters at the White House that there was not one particular disagreement that triggered Bolton's ouster on Tuesday.
"There is no one issue here," Gidley said. "They just didn't align on many issues."
Deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman will take over Bolton's job on an interim basis.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/460702-trump-fires-nsc-adviser-bolton