A book by John Bolton scheduled for release on June 23, 2020, “could blow the lid off” the Trump administration, Huffington Post reports. The book has been held up for months for national security review, and Trump doesn’t want Bolton to release it before the election, but Bolton plans to defy the White House and release it without approval, and “sources” described its contents as “scathing.” Read story here and here.
Bolton was Trump’s national security adviser during the time of the Ukraine dealings that led to Trump’s impeachment and subsequent acquittal in the Republican-controlled Senate. He wasn’t allowed to testify in the Senate trial, but it’s unlikely anything he said would’ve swayed GOP senators to fire a president of their own party.
Assuming the book comes out before the election, it could give Democrats ammunition to use in the campaign. “Bolton has indicated he details Trump’s dealings with Ukraine in the book,” Huffington Post said. But it’s unlikely to affect the outcome; polls indicate voter preferences are already locked in, and Biden has held a steady 49% – 42% lead over Trump nationally for months. The Covid-19 crisis and George Floyd racism protests haven’t reduced Trump’s support, or increased Biden’s, by even a point.
Of course, presidential elections are decided by electoral votes, and the 2020 election likely will be decided in a few key states. Biden leads in most of those, but by narrower margins than nationally. Most pundits think Trump faces an uphill fight, but aren’t writing him off. Also important for Democrats is winning Senate control; here things are looking better for them, with polling moving in their favor in some key races. Read that story here.
Image: What Bolton might look like if Trump gets real upset about his forthcoming book.