“To go ahead and try to say that the only fair outcome is if I win is something we need to pause about,” Bolton said during an interview offered by the National Press Club.
However, Bolton added “this is not a moment to become apocalyptic” and said he did not want to state flat out that Trump would try to retain power and overthrow the election. He said he had seen no evidence that the president was trying to sabotage the election – an accusation made by several Democrats because Trump discourages post-voting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and because his postmaster- generally major changes have been issued to the U.S. Postal Service.
But Bolton said Trump “can try anything” and that “there are no rules” with the president.
Bolton called on other Republicans to accept the results of the November election, regardless of who wins. He referred to his memories in Florida after the 2000 election and said that contested elections could come from both parties.
“I’m not looking forward to an election where we have 10 Florida around the country,” he said.
Bolton said he did not intend to vote for Joe Biden or Trump – for the first time in his career he chose not to vote for the Republican nominee. He said he would think of a Conservative to subscribe to his vote.
Bolton resigned last year amid conflicts with Trump over U.S. foreign policy. He has since written about his experiences in the White House in a book, in which he portrayed a chaotic administration struggling to keep an eye on a quarterly president. The Trump administration has no doubt tried to stop the release of the book.
