Bolton accuses Trump of letting personal or business interests dictate relations with Turkey

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Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of letting his personal or financial interests guide his foreign policy with Turkey, in a private speech he made last week.

Bolton told the audience that he believed something else was motivating the president's actions toward Turkey, because none of his advisors agreed with his moves, six people who were present during his speech told NBC News.

Speaking at a private Morgan Stanley event in Miami, Bolton said that he was most frustrated with Trump over his handling of Turkey.

Noting the broad bipartisan support in Congress to sanction Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan purchased a Russian missile defense system, Bolton said Trump’s resistance to the move was unreasonable.

Bolton said he believes there is a personal or business relationship dictating Trump’s position on Turkey because none of his advisers are aligned with him on the issue.

The Trump Organization has a property in Istanbul, and the president's daughter Ivanka Trump attended the opening with Erdoğan in 2012.

Though it’s a leasing agreement for use of the Trump name, Trump himself said in a 2015 interview that the arrangement presented “a little conflict of interest” should he be elected.

Bolton's description was part of a broader portrait of a president who lacks an understanding of the interconnected nature of relationships in foreign policy and the need for consistency, the people in the meeting said.

During an Oct. 6 phone call with Erdoğan, Trump agreed to pull back U.S. troops from northeast Syria so Turkish forces could launch an offensive against Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Washington's main ally in the fight against U.S., in the area.

Trump’s decision, followed by an order for all U.S. troops to exit Syria, was widely criticized even among the president’s Republican allies and was seen by many as a gift to the Turkish leader.

Erdoğan is set to visit the White House on Nov. 13.

Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser for 17 months. The Ukraine scandal began to unfold about a week after his contentious departure. Trump said he’d fired him, though Bolton said he had resigned.

Bolton has been writing a book, having reached a deal with Simon & Schuster, and people present for his remarks in Miami said he suggested to the audience several times that if they read it, there would be much more material along the lines of what was in his speech.