John Bolton Says He’ll Write in Dick Cheney Instead of Voting for Trump or Biden

The diplomat, a fixture in multiple Republican administrations who now opposes Mr. Trump, said he also voted for the former vice president in 2020.

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John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, told CNN that he thought Dick Cheney would “do an immensely better job than either Trump or Biden.”

John R. Bolton, who fervently disavowed former President Donald J. Trump after serving as his national security adviser, said on Wednesday that he would be voting for a Republican in the November election, just as he did four years ago — only not for his old boss but for former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Mr. Bolton, a fixture in multiple Republican administrations and a former diplomat, revealed his choice for president in an appearance on CNN. It was the same person, he said, whom he wrote in during the 2020 election.

“I might as well say it now: I voted for Dick Cheney,” he said. “And I’ll vote for Dick Cheney again this November.”

Mr. Bolton worked alongside Mr. Cheney, whom he described as a “principled Reaganite conservative,” in the administration of President George W. Bush, including as ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Cheney is 83, nearly two years older than President Biden (who is 81) and about five-and-a-half years older than Mr. Trump (who is 77).

“Age is no longer a factor in American presidential politics, so his age doesn’t disqualify him,” Mr. Bolton said of Mr. Cheney. “And I think he’d do an immensely better job than either Trump or Biden.”

In 2020, Mr. Bolton published a scathing tell-all memoir about his dealings with Mr. Trump, whom he portrayed as corrupt, poorly informed and reckless. An updated edition of Mr. Bolton’s book released this year warned that a second Trump presidency would focus on retribution.

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