John Bolton Has One Damning Word to Describe What Trump Really Wants from His Cabinet Picks

After securing a resounding victory in the 2024 elections, Donald Trump's next goal is to surround himself with MAGA loyals. But, John Bolton, former national security advisor, believes the President-elect isn't looking just for 'loyalty.' In his recent appearance on CNN with host Jake Tapper, Bolton used one damning quality that Trump is looking for in his cabinet people. 

"As I've said before, I don't think loyalty is really the right word," said Bolton. "I think what Trump wants from his appointees is subservience." Bolton, who was Trump's employee-turned-critic, further warned that fealty would come at a cost. "He may get that, but I will tell you: That will not serve him well over the course of his next term... And it certainly won't serve the country well." 

In addition, Bolton urged Trump's cabinet picks to not compromise on their own morals while working under the 78-year-old politician, and he spoke from his own experience. "I saw during my time, people that I thought had a lot of intellectual integrity and personal integrity just wrap themselves around the axle in order to stay in the Trump administration," he said, per HuffPost.

So far, Trump has already selected people to run crucial departments under his administration. For instance, he picked Matt Gaetz as his Attorney General, Kristi Noem as the Homeland Security Secretary, Susie Wiles as his Chief of Staff, Tom Homan as his 'Border Czar' along with Stephen Miller as a Homeland Security Advisor, Elise Stefanik as the UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor, Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence, Pete Hegseth as Defense Chief, and more, as per BBC.

So when Bolton was asked if Trump made the right choice with Hegseth as Defense Chief, he replied, "I don't know. I will say that his military service was very commendable." However, the former aide raised doubts about Hegseth keeping his 'loyalty and integrity' for the constitution intact, saying, "I don't know him well enough to know the answer to that question." 

The 75-year-old is among those former employees of Trump who changed their minds and became his staunch critic. He served in Trump's White House in 2018 and 2019, but in the new forward of his book The Room Where It Happened, an account of his time spent with Trump as an advisor, he warned, "If his first four years were bad, a second four will be worse," per Reuters.

He further wrote, "Trump really cares only about retribution for himself, and it will consume much of a second term," insisting that the real estate mogul "cares almost exclusively about his own interests." He also suggested that Trump would only want to be in a 'White House of serfs' who'd execute his orders without asking any questions, signaling a kind of authoritarian attitude.