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Former national security adviser John Bolton ripped the nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general as the worst “in American history” — while ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is adamant that “everybody knows” Gaetz “won’t get confirmed.” “Well, it must be the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history,” Bolton, a key adviser to President-elect Donald Trump during his first term in office, told NBC’s “Meet The Press NOW” Wednesday. “Gaetz is not only totally incompetent for this job, he doesn’t have the character,” Bolton added. “He is a person of moral turpitude, and notwithstanding how difficult it...

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed Tuesday on CNN’s “The Lead” that President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for “fealty” from his advisers will not serve him well. Host Jake Tapper said, “On Sunday as President-elect Trump forms his cabinet, Donald Trump Jr. reposted a tweet that said, We need maximum pressure to keep all Neocons and war hawks out of the Trump administration.’ to which he replied, ‘Agreed, I am on it.’ It sounds like Don Jr and JD Vance and I know he was talking about people like you and it sounds like Don Jr. was agreeing also maybe....

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said Israel should “destroy” Iran’s nuclear weapons program during a Wednesday appearance on NewsNation. Iran launched nearly 200 missiles into Israel on Tuesday in response to a series of targeted killings carried out by Israel that have left several leaders of militia groups alligned with Tehran dead. Israel is widely expected to launch strikes on Iran in response to the Tuesday attack. Bolton, a hawk who served as former President Trump’s national security adviser before breaking with him, argued for an aggressive approach. “Israel should destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program. There...

Former national security adviser John Bolton said Thursday that former President Trump has trouble differentiating between fact and fiction. “Look, Trump can’t tell the difference between what’s true and what’s false,” Bolton said on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.” “It’s not that he lies a lot, because to lie, you have to do it consciously. He just can’t tell the difference.”

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday argued the Middle East is already in the middle of a “wider war” as concerns grow about an escalating conflict following the apparent assassination of a top Hamas political leader in Tehran this week. Bolton argued the larger regional conflict began after Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise assault on southern Israel, where they killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. “We’re not dealing with conflict in Gaza or the conflict with Hezbollah and North Lebanon or a conflict with the Houthis closing the Red Sea...

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton is joining those criticizing vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s past statement about “childless cat ladies.” Bolton thinks the comment could resonate politically as much as 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s remarks describing some Trump supporters as “deplorables.” “I think these comments by Vance are really the 2024 counterpart of [former Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton’s famous statement in the 2016 election where she called Trump supporters ‘deplorables,’” Bolton said on CNN’s “The Source” Friday. “[I] mean, if politicians can’t learn — it’s one thing to attack your opponent, it’s another thing to...

ormer national security advisor John Bolton said Friday on CNN’s “Newsroom” that President Joe Biden is telling Democrats to “Suit up, lemmings” because he is “going off the edge of the cliff” and taking them with him. Bolton said, “The message that President Biden basically gave to the Democratic Party yesterday evening was ‘Suit up, lemmings, I’m going off the edge of the cliff and you’re coming with me.'” He continued, “Now, if that’s what the Democrats want to do, you know, they will elect Trump. They’ll also help elect a lot more Republican senators and House members. There is...

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said Thursday on CNN’s “Newsnight” that advocates for a second Trump term were “deceiving people” on his foreign policy. Host Abby Phillip asked, “Former President Trump said in an interview tonight he once again praised Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader. And this comes right after Vladimir Putin and Kim just struck this week a defense deal. I wonder, what does the alliance between Kim and Putin look like if Trump is elected again? He seems to constantly want to butter up this dictator. Bolton said, “Well, the Putin-Kim meeting in Korea was...

BREAKING: Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor John Bolton urges Republicans to abandon him as their presidential candidate now that's he's officially a convicted felon. This is absolutely brutal for MAGA... "Well, I think it's gonna be a big mistake for the party, for the country to nominate Donald Trump," Bold said during an appearance on CNN. "Precisely because he may well win this election. I'm not going to vote for Biden either, but I think if there's any chance left to get somebody else to replace Trump, which is highly unlikely to be sure, this ought to signal it...

If Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House in November, NATO may fall apart, a recent wargame found. As a presidential candidate, Trump has threatened to quit NATO unless European allies contribute more, and should he carry it out Europe may decide to go it alone on defense, the game suggests. "A US policy of frustrating NATO has the potential to cause the alliance to collapse, with the EU as a candidate for eventually replacing NATO's ultimate function — defending Europe from Russia," wrote Finley Grimble, the British defense expert who designed and ran the game. The...

Former national security adviser John Bolton criticized President Biden for putting “enormous pressure” on Israel to not “do more” to Iran Friday, after the country launched retaliatory strikes on Israel following an attack earlier this month in Syria. Early Friday, the Israeli military struck close to a major air base and nuclear site in Iran. The strike seemed to be a response to the drone and missile strikes that took place last weekend.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton claimed Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Donald Trump did not have any idea what to do in the Middle East. Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Former President Trump last night at a rally in Pennsylvania, Shanksville, said that none of this would have happened if he had been president. Take a listen to what he said.”

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that President Joe Biden is “an embarrassment to the United States” for encouraging Israel not to retaliate against Iran. Bolton said, “Last night, the Iranians launched 320-plus cruise and ballistic missiles and drones. It’s a blessing that the Israelis find only 1% got through, but not every night is going to be that good. And unless Iran sees a powerful response, that risk will continue. And the way to re-establish deterrence is not proportional. That’s academic talk.”

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Deadline” that former President Donald Trump had “simple-minded ideas about how the world works.” Bolton said, “I think it’s important to understand, and this is especially important for Trump critics to understand, he doesn’t have a philosophy. He doesn’t think in policy terms, as that’s conventionally understood in Washington. He thinks in anecdotal, ad hoc, transactional terms, seeing through the prism of how does this benefit Donald Trump.”

John Bolton, a former ambassador and national security adviser, told Newsmax on Friday that the world shouldn't read too deeply into Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement regarding NATO. Bolton said Ukraine wouldn't be admitted to the alliance "anytime too soon." On Thursday, speaking to reporters in Brussels, Blinken said, "Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership." The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said that "Hungary among others" would not agree to welcoming Ukraine under the current conditions. "NATO has never taken in as...

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said in an interview that his former boss, former President Trump “doesn’t have the brains” to be a dictator, as questions arise about what a second Trump term would look like. Conservative French outlet Le Figaro asked Bolton if Trump had dictatorial tendencies in an interview published Thursday. “He hasn’t got the brains! He’s a property developer for God’s sake!” Bolton replied. Trump, the lone remaining contender for the GOP presidential nomination, met with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán earlier this month. The meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate continued his embrace of autocratic leaders...

Alexei Navalny’s death in a Russian prison camp elicited widespread condemnation, and Western leaders demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin be held accountable. A fierce Putin critic, Navalny returned to Russia in January 2021 after recovering from a 2020 attempted assassination by poisoning that was almost certainly ordered by the Kremlin. He was immediately jailed. President Joe Biden said Friday, “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death … What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality.” Of course, there are always exceptions. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump declined to blame Russia’s government for the...

As US allies reel from Donald Trump’s weekend comments encouraging Russia to attack European allies if they don’t meet NATO budget contribution goals, multiple former Trump advisers warn in my upcoming book that the former president will seek to formally withdraw the US from the NATO alliance if he wins a second term. In “The Return of Great Powers”, which will be published March 12, a former senior US official, who served in both the Trump and Biden administrations at a high level, told me that if Trump defeats President Joe Biden in November “the US will be out of...

I am sending best wishes to my good friend and former Governor Larry Hogan. I endorsed @GovLarryHogan today and pledged the maximum amount of $10,000 from my PAC. I look forward to helping Larry in any way I can. https://t.co/0lKzmjPtX2 https://t.co/k9WsQSQ2Zi— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) February 9, 2024

Some Republicans may be urging Nikki Haley to drop her presidential bid and step aside for former President Trump — but Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, disagrees with them all. "I think she should stay in," he told CBS News in an interview Friday. "In fact, I think she should announce that she's gonna stay in through the [Republican] convention, no matter what happens in South Carolina, where it looks like she'll lose." Haley, he went on to say, "can carry the flag for everyone within the Republican party who doesn't want Trump to get the nomination." Yes,...