INTERNAL QUAGMIRE?

Report: Trump Privately Questions Bolton’s Venezuela Strategy After ‘Tough Cookie’ Maduro Refused to Budge

The president reportedly called Nicolas Maduro a “tough cookie” after opposition protests failed to make him step down.

President Trump has reportedly become skeptical of his administration's support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, claiming privately that his national security adviser John Bolton dragged him “into a war.” According to The Washington Post, the president complained last week that Bolton and some of his other advisers underestimated President Nicolas Maduro's staying power—calling him a “tough cookie.” He also reportedly said his aides should not have led him to believe that Maduro could be ousted last week, when opposition protests rocked the country and turned fatal. While Trump has griped about Bolton, two administration officials claimed the adviser's role in the White House is safe and Trump has asked him to continue focusing his efforts on Venezuela. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN last week that Maduro was about to leave the country but was convinced to stay by Russians, though he did not elaborate on how the U.S. knew that information.