Well, they're trying to provide him with information they think president should have in front of him,

and often he just didn't care about that or wasn't taking it on board or couldn't process it.

But it was a different experience than I've seen with any other American president.

I think it's a problem.

I think it's clear in the second term he feels more at ease making these decisions,

but it doesn't mean he considers in any more

detail or at any greater length or scope what exactly the implications are of what he's doing.

I'm Joanna Coles. This is the Daily Beast podcast. Can you imagine what it must be like

being in the room trying to brief Donald Trump on matters of national intelligence, of whether or not we should bomb Iran, of where even Iran is?

I literally can't. And I can't imagine being a senior military official trying to explain the complexity of pulling together troops

in the Gulf, and also trying to explain how important it is to talk to our allies and message

our allies about what we're doing.

But of course, one man who has tried and lived to tell the tale and

tells the tale incredibly bravely and frankly is John Bolton.

And whatever you think of John Bolton's policies, his ability to articulate what it's like

to be in the room with Donald Trump when Donald Trump is doing

anything but listening to what is being said is I think really illuminating, it's alarming,

it's unnerving and it's really unmissable. I found his insights into the complexity of the power dynamics in the room when you have

President Trump and you have the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Really fascinating.

And well, anyway, you can see for yourself.

I loved talking to him.

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