The New York Times has strongly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to appoint former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton as his new national security adviser.  

In a March 23rd editorial, the Times said that bringing on the fiery Bolton now, at a delicate moment with North Korea, is a terrible decision. 

The editorial said that the good thing about Bolton is that he says what he thinks and the bad thing is what he thinks. It raised concern that his selection is a decision that is as alarming as any Trump has made, saying there are few people more likely than Bolton is to lead the U.S. into war.  

The editorial said his selection, along with the nomination of the hard-line C.I.A. director Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, shows the degree to which Trump is indulging his worst nationalistic instincts.
 
It went on to say that Bolton, in particular, believes the United States can do what it wants without regard to international law, treaties or the political commitments of previous administrations.
 
According to the editorial, Bolton has argued for attacking North Korea to neutralize the threat of its nuclear weapons, which could set off a horrific war costing tens of thousands of lives. It also noted that he has disparaged diplomatic efforts, including the talks planned in late May between Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 

The editorial also pointed to Bolton's interview with Fox News earlier this month in which he said that talks would be worthless, and called South Korean leaders “putty in North Korea’s hands.” 

The editorial highlighted some hawkish remarks Bolton has made in recent newspaper contributions. 

He insisted in a Wall Street Journal op-ed article last month that “it is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current ‘necessity’ posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons by striking first.”

Last summer he wrote in the same paper that the U.S. should obviously seek South Korea’s agreement before using force, but no foreign government, even a close ally, can veto an action to protect Americans from North Korea's nuclear weapons. 

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