Trump defends Bolton, but admits they have differences

President Trump on Thursday conceded he has policy differences with John Bolton, even as he defended his national security adviser amid media reports he has grown frustrated with some of his hawkish foreign policy moves.

“John’s very good. He has strong views on things, but that’s OK. I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing isn’t it?” Trump said during an impromptu briefing with reporters in the White House Roosevelt Room when asked if he is satisfied with Bolton’s advice.

{mosads}The comments come one day after The Washington Post reported Trump has groused Bolton wants to get him “into a war” in Venezuela, where the administration is backing an effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in favor of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom the U.S. and other nations recognize as the interim president.

Bolton vocally supported a failed uprising against Maduro last week, which reportedly led Trump to question his administration’s strategy in the Latin American hot spot. Despite those tensions, Bolton’s job is not in danger, according to the Post.

Trump pledged to disentangle the U.S. from foreign wars during his 2016 campaign, views that are at odds with Bolton, who has long held hawkish views and was a vocal proponent of the Iraq War.

“I have different sides,” the president said. “I have John Bolton and I have other people who are a little more dovish than him, and ultimately I make the decision.”

The president and Bolton have both floated the possibility of a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, but have declined to say which conditions would trigger such a move.