Bolton takes back seat, but remains looming North Korea summit presence

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump receives a briefing from senior military leadership accompanied by his new National Security Adviser John Bolton at the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. April 9, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just weeks after John Bolton’s hardline rhetoric infuriated North Korea and nearly derailed a planned summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, the U.S. national security adviser appears to have taken a back seat to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the historic meeting.

While the hawkish Bolton – who has adopted a lower-key approach in recent days - is expected to be in Singapore for the talks on Tuesday, Pompeo has taken the lead as the administration assumes a softer tone towards Pyongyang ahead of the summit, several U.S. officials said.