Trump news: President claims he fired John Bolton, as former security adviser texts Fox News hosts live to say this isn't true

Watch Trump speak at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Conference

Donald Trump claimed he fired John Bolton in a tweet on Tuesday as polls showed his approval rating falling 38 per cent, down six points on his July career-best according to a new ABC News/Washington Post, as concerns over the fate of the American economy linger.

The president's abrupt announcement created a flurry of dramatic TV news, with Mr Bolton apparently texting Fox News hosts a simple message: "Let's be clear," he reportedly texted the network's Brian Kilmeade. "I resigned."

The president meanwhile held his latest “Keep America Great” rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Monday night, attacking the “America-hating left”, scaremongering about the release of “horrible, hardened criminals” in sanctuary cities and saying he rolled back energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs because: “I look better under incandescent light”. On another wild evening before a crowd of his most feverish supporters, Mr Trump also made a false claim about voter fraud in California and took sole credit for the US being awarded the 2026 FIFA World Cup and joked about serving a third term in order to be in office when the tournament gets underway.

During his year and a half at the White House, Mr Bolton had particular success in shaping the administration’s policies toward the United Nations and other international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, as well as advocating for hardline measures on Venezuela and Cuba.

Mr Bolton had launched a broadside campaign against the International Criminal Court that resulted in the US revoking the visa of the court’s chief prosecutor after she sought permission to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by American troops and others in Afghanistan.

With the national security adviser on his team, Mr Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, a position advocated by Mr Bolton.

The deal had been negotiated by the Obama administration to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions, and some in the administration favoured staying in the agreement.

His tenure in the White House was not without its many controversies, of course.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey refused to meet with Mr Bolton during his visit to Turkey to discuss US plans to withdraw troops from Syria in January.

The Turkish president was angered after Mr Bolton called for Turkish security assurances for the US-backed Kurdish forces as a condition for the withdrawal.

The president himself also appeared to undercut Mr Bolton’s public condemnation of missile tests by North Korea.

“North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me,” Mr Trump tweeted. “Some” of his “people” appeared to include Mr Bolton, who had told reporters just hours earlier that North Korean missile tests violated UN Security Council resolutions.

Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Key Points

• New poll sees president's approval rating sliding further
• Trump stokes immigration fears, lies about voter fraud at North Carolina rally
• President claims he fired his third National Security Adviser John Bolton
• Says Taliban talks dead and pledges to release 'financial report' on own wealth
• Commerce secretary threatened to fire weather officials for contradicting Trump

[10 September 2019 15:10 · Chris Riotta]

Here goes Donald Trump Jr once again claiming the media is trying to "create economic decline to help their political agenda" after Wall Street analysts have warned of a possible recession -

[10 September 2019 15:26 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump has alleged the ABC/Washington Post poll was the "worst and most inaccurate poll of any taken prior to the 2016 election" after the surveying team reported bad news for the president in its polls this week -

[10 September 2019 15:47 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump slammed ABC and Washington Post as “two very bad and dangerous media outlets” after they released a joint-poll showing the president’s approval rating in decline and growing fears of an economic recession.

“ABC/Washington Post Poll was the worst and most inaccurate poll of any taken prior to the 2016 Election,” the president wrote in a tweet on Tuesday morning. “When my lawyers protested, they took a 12 point down and brought it to almost even by Election Day.”

“It was a Fake Poll by two very bad and dangerous media outlets,” he added. “Sad!”

Story to come...

[10 September 2019 16:10 · Chris Riotta]

The president doesn’t have anything scheduled today until lunch with Mike Pence at 12:30pm.

He’s then headed to the Renaissance hotel in Washington at about 2:00pm and will deliver remarks at the 2019 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference. 

He’s then headed back to the White House to meet with Congressional Republican leadership in the Oval Office at 4:00pm meeting that will be closed to the press. 

His last appearance for the day will likely be at 5:30pm, when he participates in the swearing-in ceremony for the US Ambassador to the United Nations. 

[10 September 2019 16:30 · Chris Riotta]

  ↵Here's my latest story on Donald Trump's scathing attacks on the media and polling companies after they showed his approval rating in decline -

[10 September 2019 16:50 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump’s company has released an army-inspired clothing range, despite the family’s lack of military service.

The camouflage-themed range, known as the “Fall & Camo” collection, was promoted on Monday on the Trump Organisation’s social media sites.

Many commenters were quick to point out that the president is known for not having served during the Vietnam war.

“I get it,” wrote Brian Tyler Cohen, a Twitter user. ”It’s camo because when it came time for Trump to serve, no one could find him.”

[10 September 2019 17:10 · Chris Riotta]

It will be interesting to see what comes of this so-called "financial report" the president has vowed to release ahead of the 2020 election. He has long claimed to be a billionaire and has also alleged that he is under audit, hence why he can't release his tax returns. 

[10 September 2019 17:15 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump said he let go of John Bolton in a tweet posted on Tuesday afternoon after he “disagreed strongly” with “many” of his ex-national security adviser’s suggestions. 

The president said he “asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning”. He added: “I thank John very much for his service.”

“I will be naming a new National Security Adviser next week,” Mr Trump wrote. 

Story to come...

[10 September 2019 17:30 · Chris Riotta]

Here's my latest on Donald Trump seemingly firing his third National Security Adviser John Bolton: 

[10 September 2019 17:50 · Chris Riotta]

Another interesting tidbit from the other side of the pond: Theresa May has made Kim Darroch a member of the House of Lords, just two months after the former ambassador resigned after criticising Donald Trump in leaked memos.

The career diplomat was forced to step down in July, after confidential emails in which he described the president as  “uniquely dysfunctional”, “incompetent” and “insecure” were published in The Mail on Sunday.

In one scathing missive he wrote: “We don’t really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.”