War and whiskers: Freshly-resigned John Bolton gets meme-roasting

US National Security Advisor John Bolton’s departure from the Trump administration has been met with a mix of joy from the MAGA crowd and protests from dedicated neocons, but also with an avalanche of memes.

President Donald Trump announced Bolton’s dismissal by tweet on Tuesday, saying he had “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions,” presumably meaning his advocacy for military-enforced regime change in Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran. Bolton insisted that he attempted to resign before Trump’s announcement.

Reaction flowed in swiftly, with some commenters in the media lamenting the war-hawk’s departure. However, the discussion was punctuated with a steady flow of jokes and memes, poking fun at Bolton’s two undying loves: military conflict and the mustache of an 1800s prospector.

Rumors had circulated that, prior to his departure, Bolton and Trump had argued over a planned summit with Taliban leaders at Camp David. Though canceled after several attacks in Afghanistan, the summit –which Trump hoped would bring about an end to the 18-year conflict in Afghanistan– was roundly criticized by politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Some memers also wondered after the firing whether Bolton would follow the well-worn path from the White House to the cable news studios, where he could unload on the Trump administration as a ‘national security expert.’

Trump has not yet announced a replacement for Bolton, but said he will do so “next week.” The internet, meanwhile, had some suggestions.

The chop-and-change nature of Trump’s administration –which has had a 77 percent turnover rate of executive-level advisers in two-and-a-half years– has been compared by some to the battle royale of ‘The Hunger Games.’ Whoever replaces Bolton may be smiling soon, but swift dismissal could soon follow.

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