it appeared there was no man more

influential on Donald Trump's foreign policy

than John Bolton.

Remember, it was John Bolton who pushed for Trump to pull out

of the Iran nuclear deal.

It was John Bolton who pushed Trump to go to Venezuela

and advocate a coup against President Maduro.

But if you think about it over the last two or three

months on almost every single major foreign policy

issue facing the Trump administration

the president has overruled Bolton.

He has sided with Mike Pompeo, secretary of state,

who's become much more influential

on foreign policy in the last six months.

On Iran, the president has said he

would meet with President Rouhani

to discuss a peace deal again, something that Bolton

has strenuously opposed.

On North Korea, the president keeps saying nice things

about Kim Jong Un even though Kim Jong

Un keeps firing missile tests.

Again, something that Bolton himself has objected to.

On Afghanistan, most recently, he

had suggested having a meeting at Camp David with the Taliban,

the government that was responsible for housing

Al-Qaeda during 9/11, again, against the advice of John

Bolton.

On Venezuela, Trump has done almost nothing

since Bolton advocated for a coup in Caracas.

All these things, all four the major issues

facing President Trump, he has overruled Bolton,

sided with Pompeo, and the two men have fallen out

on almost every issue.

That is what preceded this departure.

It is now going to be his fourth national security

adviser in as many years.

And it shows that although President Trump has positioned

himself rhetorically as very hard line on any number

of issues he is at heart a deal-maker,

and is ready to make deals with any of these leaders, something

that John Bolton was not supportive of in any

of these countries.

I'm Peter Spiegel, US managing editor of the Financial Times.