John Bolton
A traditional conservative, John Bolton has long argued for a vigorous global role for the United States. Bolton is a neoconservative whose lengthy career in Republican administrations has been defined by advocacy for military strength, assertive American leadership, and regime change to confront perceived threats to U.S. interests.
An attorney, diplomat, and political commentator, Bolton has held senior positions in multiple Republican administrations. Under President George W. Bush, he served as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and later as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Earlier, he held key posts at the Department of Justice, USAID, and the State Department. His tenure at USAID convinced him that the abandonment of USAID in 2025 was a serious strategic error. Its retreat from American "soft power" has created a vacuum increasingly filled by China, he says.
Bolton's sole role in the Trump administration was as National Security Advisor, a position he held from April 2018 until September 2019. His tenure was marked by persistent conflict with President Trump over America's role in the world. Bolton departed amid sharp disagreements over leadership style and substance. Since leaving office, he has emerged as one of the Trump administration’s most credible conservative critics, citing its disregard for democratic norms, fiscal discipline, alliances, and the rule-based international order.
After Bolton published The Room Where It Happened, a highly critical account of the Trump White House, the administration attempted to block the book's release through the courts, alleging that it contained classified information. The Justice Department later pursued a civil lawsuit seeking Bolton's book proceeds – an act of pure retribution. Trump upped the ante when the Justice Department initiated a criminal prosecution of Bolton, stripped him of security protections, and launched personal attacks to discredit him. These actions reflect a broader pattern in which Trump has used the powers of government not to defend national interests, but to intimidate those who are critical of the chaos and incompetence of his administration.
"Congress is the most at fault here, because for over one hundred years, they've been ceding authority to the executive branch. There are a lot of members of Congress who wouldn't know how to pass a bill if their life depended on it. This is the most important job that Congress has. They're only interested in social media attention. It's performance art. It's not legislation and Trump has been able to seize that power because they haven't even been able to pass an appropriations bill for decades."
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15, 2025