WASHINGTON _ As President Donald Trump's battle for reelection heats up, he faces an unusual and potent foe: a raft of former top aides and Cabinet members _ including John Kelly, James Mattis, and now, John Bolton _ who have turned against him.
It's normal to have dissent in the ranks, but the list of Trump advisers turned detractors is striking in its size, the seniority of its members and the vehemence of their critiques _ especially for a president known to prize loyalty above all else.
Their proximity to Trump has brought a devastating level of detail and credibility to their appraisals of his tenure. Perhaps the most damaging came last week when Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, released a tell-all memoir _ "The Room Where It Happened" _ painting a deeply unflattering picture of the president.
While Trump and his allies have disputed Bolton's account, the book adds to an already difficult time for Trump, dominating news cycles for a full week as public opinion polls indicated his popularity was already sagging over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the wave of protests over the deaths and mistreatment of Black Americans at the hands of police.
Meanwhile, Trump has returned fire, hurling insults at his former appointees on Twitter. Their hirings count among the few actions for which Trump has come close to faulting himself.
Here's a look at some of the most prominent converts:
