Thread by @santiagomayer_

Okay, let's get this started.

I'm live tweeting my thoughts and some analysis as I read Bolton's "The Room Where It Happened". I'm using a PDF version that I got for free, so I'll provide annotations and highlights.

//THREAD//

My first thought while reading this is just utter amazement at how highly Bolton regards himself:

For someone whose livelihood depends on the Resistance buying his book, Bolton isn't holding back words. I've felt insulted at least 5 times and I'm only a couple pages in.

"Trump is Trump."

Not a surprise by any means, but Trump is running the government as he ran all his bankrupt businesses.

I’m 7 pages in, and I’m already tired of the condescending “I know it all” tone of this book.

This is gonna be a long night.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to go through 500 more pages of this.

Every page could be summarized as Bolton saying “I’m much more accomplished and smarter than you, idiot.”

Spoiler alert: Bolton is an idiot.

This entire book reads as if it was written by a 5 year old who happened to have a rather extensive vocabulary and wanted to show it off.

The structure is quite poor, and the big words and fancy phrases Bolton uses don't add anything. He just wants to seem smart.

Now this is interesting, Bolton claims that Trump's first calls as President-Elect were with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

Coincidence? I really fucking doubt it.

Also interesting is the claim that Henry Kissinger predicted that Flynn would be gone within a year.

Oh, if only he'd known how many National Security Advisors 2017 would bring...

The only two things I've learned in the last hour is that:
A) Bolton thinks waaaaay too highly of himself
B) Bolton reallllyyyy wanted to be Sec. of State.

I don't know why I expected Bolton to have read the Mueller report, but it appears he didn't.

He claims Trump was vindicated on collusion, something which Page 1 of the report rebukes.

I get that Bolton fundamentally disagrees with Obama, but he really goes out of his way to attack him.

It's actually quite distracting for the reader.

Okay, I'm taking what is sure to be the first of many breaks. I'm not even in page 30 yet and I want to pull my eyes out.

I'll continue this soon.

Bolton hinks that being a Fox commentator somehow made him famous lmao

Bolton is pissed about not being chosen as Sec. of State. He keeps talking about how great he’d have been and how utterly incompetent Tillerson was (I agree with the second point).

We already knew this, but the President is a fucking moron.

Oh, great. We have Bolton to thank for this idiotic Trump decision.

I lost count of the lies after the 4th one.

Bolton keeps sucking up to Henry Kissinger, it gets annoying.

Again, Spoiler Alert: John Bolton is an idiot.

This book is basically Bolton jerking off to his imaginary version of himself.

He claims that a single op-ed of him would throw the White House into disarray and that they were begging him to join the admin for years.

Every page of this is painful to read, Bolton keeps stroking his ego and talking about how he’s admired and adored by absolutely everyone and everything he does is perfect.

I dare say he might be just as, if not more, narcissistic than Trump.

The fact that Conservatives consider this idiot to be some sort of foreign policy genius is staggering.

I’m scared to think this guy had any influence at all.

Unsurprisingly, Bolton wanted to bomb North Korea.

Okay, I’m gonna stop tweeting all my thoughts and try to get through this as fast as I can.

I’ll tweet highlights, but I want this to be over as soon as possible.

Important to note that Trump refers to Senators (both R and D) as “those clowns up there"

John Bolton is to thank for the abandonment (and the following massacre) of the Kurds.

Of course, Bolton singlehandedly repaired US relations with allies. Of course he did...

Bolton dislikes Mattis, badly. Not surprising but must be noted.

50 pages in and Bolton is already calling world leaders incompetent and dumb.

He’s implying Macron did not know what he was talking about and maintained a condescending tone when referring to Theresa May.

Taking a little break to go get some food, I’ll be back soon.

I’m back. Let’s keep this horrifying experience going.

“Trump spent a lot of time in this dining room, with a wide-screen television on the wall opposite his chair…”

An appropriate description of Trump’s reaction to an international crisis, watching Fox News.

This book is horrible but the situation described here is straight out of a sitcom.

I don’t believe this confluct was reported by the press, but DAMN.

So… How was Trump planning to respond to Assad’s chemical attack against his people?

This dude is bragging about getting a "standing ovation” at a Trump rally.

This is the former National Security Advisor we’re talking about

I keep having to restate this, but the President is an idiot.

Unsurprisingly, the book presents a sort onf consensus between Trump officials that Nikki Hailey is an idiot with her own political ambitions.

John Bolton’s ego might be large enough to qualify as a fucking moon.

Holy shit.

IMPORTANT REVELATION #1: The National Economic Council was aware of the grave economic costs of a Trade war with China, they warned Trump but he ignored them.

Who the fuck uses the word “ensnare” instead of “entrap” or “catch in”?!?

Just as an aside, I’m running out of battery. I’ll finish this chapter and the let my iPad charge for a while before carrying on.

I don’t know how I can make this anymore clear, Trump is an idiot.

Okay, chapter is done. Plugging my iPad in and making coffee. Will be back soon.

Okay, fuck, here we go again.

Four chapters in, Bolton keeps going out of his way to shit on Obama. Quite annoying.

It seems that the North Korean summit was just as chaotic inside the admin as it was outside of it.

No one knew what the fuck was going on and half the administration was actively trying to sabotage it.

Credit where credit is due; Bolton is correct when he says that claiming that Qaddafi was killed because of relinquishing his nuclear weapons is a post hoc logical fallacy.

Bolton keeps attacking the media, over, and over, and over again.

I don;t know how much longer I can do this.

Bolton was appalled at the fact that Trump didn’t know what the purpose of joint South Korean-US military exercises were.

Really, John? You were surprised?

Why did South Korean/US Joint Military exercises stop, you might ask?

John Bolton has your answer.

If this book is anything to go by, 50% of conversatios between Kelly and Bolton were about Kelly wanted to leave.

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s approach to foreign policy is the same as his apporach to dating.

Bolton seems to really dislike South Korea’s goal of re-unifying the Koreas.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m very much enjoying reading about how the White House collapses with every tweet.

Trump cancels Singapore via tweet, then he takes it back when DRNK sends a letter. Lol.

While Bolton has yet to directly insult President Moon from South Korea, it is quite clear that he doesn’t respect him. He has repeatedly implied that he’s an idiot.

Lol, apparently, Trump said he’d impose tariffs on North Korea… a nation we don’t trade with.

Trump wanted to go to the Singapore Summit not because it’d do good or bring peace to the world, but because (according to him) “It [would] be great theater”.

Bolton is straight up calling the entire South Korean government “foolish” while propping himself up.

He’s quite literally implying he’s more capable himself than the entire South Korean government.

I’m barely 1/5 through this book and I already hate myself for reading this. I hate it.

Either Bolton is actively lying, or he doesn’t understand trade policy.

Europe isn’t hypocritical for criticizing Trump’s tariffs while refusing to do away with all tariffs.

Apparently, all you gotta do to be qualified for an NSC position is do a good job as a TV News contributor.

Could it be that having relatively young leaders and aides is good for productivity?

*pretends to be shocked*

In page 97, Bolton mentions a “now famous picture” from the G7 summit in Canada.

I assume he’s talking about this one, but can’t be sure.

It’s quite telling how even the President’s own advisors have ZERO expectations for him.

Glad to see the President putting the health and security of Americans before anything el…

Wait what do you mean he just wants a photo op?

NOTE: My battery is running low again, I’ll finish the chapter and plug it in for a while before continuing.

Finally reached the “he is so full of shit” statement, and it actually makes a whole lot more sense in context.

A few pages ago, Trump was calling Senators ‘clowns’, now he is claiming he will seek Senate approval for a DRNK deal. He is, in fact, full of shit.

As the chapter on the Singapore summit comes to a close, Bolton is all but explicitly saying that Kim Jong Un was laughing at Trump’s stupidity and “on-the-spot" decision making.

Bolton is trying to portray himself as opposed to all the controversial decisions Trump makes, but for whatever reason did not resign.

I feel a good part of this book is straight up lies.

Funny how the only thing they didn’t consider was the most important one: Which option keeps more people safe.

The. President. Is. An. Idiot.

NEWS: Trump asked Pompeo to hand deliver a Trump-autographed CD of Elton John’s "Rocket Man” to Kim Jong Un.

Cause you can’t degrade yourself enough while in the Trump Admin.

Question: Did we know that Trump tried to invite Kim Jong Un to the White House?

I believe it was reported, but can’t remember.

I’m dying. This is what Bolton suspects Xi Jinping was telling Kim Jong Un.

These people are so mentally disturbed that not only believe American nationalist propaganda themselves, they think China believes it as well.

“Americans understand power.” 🤣🤣🤣

For those just finding this thread, I’ll continue it tomorrow starting at about 2pm PST. I’ve got to watch #WWDC in the morning.

Continuing the thread here:

https://twitter.com/santiagomayer_/status/1275164433166159873