Former national security adviser John Bolton said President Trump’s warning to deter protestors from showing up at the Army’s 250th commemoration parade later this week is just talk.
“Look, I think that‘s mouth. I mean, this is performance art and he‘s trying to show how tough he is,” Bolton said Tuesday during an appearance on CNN’s “AC360.”
“It‘s a character defect,” he told host John Berman. “There‘s no doubt about it. I don’t think it‘s a serious threat.”
His comments come after the president warned demonstrators earlier Tuesday not to attempt to disrupt the list of events slated for Saturday.
“If there’s any protester [who] wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,” Trump said Tuesday from the Oval Office. “For those people that want to protest, they will be met with very big force. And I haven’t even heard about a protest.”
Army grade weapons are expected to be displayed on the streets for public viewing while thousands of soldiers are planning to march across Washington. But Bolton said they wouldn’t harm individuals who are peacefully gathered.
“The military service members marching in that parade are not going to take action against protesters unless somebody comes up and physically attacks them,” the former White House aide said. “The whole thing is bluff.”
The issue also comes as many remain outraged over the president’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard soldiers and hundreds of Marines to deter protests in Los Angeles. The demonstrations come in opposition to several raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Golden State.
“Mobilizing ~700 Marines is a dangerous escalation that blurs the line between military and civilian law enforcement,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) wrote in a Monday post on social platform X. “They’re trained for combat — not law enforcement. Deploying them on our streets only inflames tensions.”
“Today it’s LA … tomorrow it could be anywhere,” he added.
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