Quotes by Donald Trump on His Third National Security Adviser John Bolton
#DonaldTrump 8/16/15: "I like Bolton…a tough cookie, knows what he’s talking about…I think he’s terrific." » #Trump 9/11/19: "He made some very big mistakes…what a disaster…not smart." Click To Tweet
Quotes by Donald Trump on His Third National Security Adviser John Bolton
THEN
2015 - 2018

- Aug 16, 2015
NBC News, Aug 16, 2015
Meet the Press Transcript - August 16, 2015
- March 22, 2018
I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2018
- April 11, 2018
So much Fake News about what is going on in the White House. Very calm and calculated with a big focus on open and fair trade with China, the coming North Korea meeting and, of course, the vicious gas attack in Syria. Feels great to have Bolton & Larry K on board. I (we) are
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
….doing things that nobody thought possible, despite the never ending and corrupt Russia Investigation, which takes tremendous time and focus. No Collusion or Obstruction (other than I fight back), so now they do the Unthinkable, and RAID a lawyers office for information! BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
#DonaldTrump 4/11/18: "Feels great to have ❲John❳ Bolton…on board. I (we) are doing things that nobody thought possible." » #Trump 6/17/20: "Wacko John Bolton…a disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war. Never had a clue." Click To Tweet
NOW
2019 - 2020

June 22, 2019 -
Politico, May 22, 2019
'The only one that matters is me': Trump backs Bolton amid Iran tensions
Sept 10, 2019 -
I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
….I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
“John is somebody that I actually got along with very well. He made some very big mistakes. When he talked about the Libyan model for Kim Jong Un, that was not a good statement to make. You just take a look at what happened with Qaddafi. That was not a good statement to make, and it set us back…
“John is known as a tough guy. He’s so tough, he got us into Iraq. That’s tough. And — but he’s somebody that I actually had a very good relationship with, but he wasn’t getting along with people in the administration that I consider very important…
“We were set back very badly when John Bolton talked about the Libyan model. And he made a mistake. And as soon as he mentioned that, the ‘Libyan model,’ what a disaster. Take a look at what happened to Qaddafi, with the Libyan model. And he’s using that to make a deal with North Korea? And I don’t blame Kim Jong Un for what he said after that. And he wanted nothing to do with John Bolton. And that’s not a question of being tough; that’s a question of being not smart, to say something like that…
“I disagreed with John Bolton on his attitudes on Venezuela. I thought he was way out of line.”
Sept 11, 2019 -
The White House, Sept 11, 2019
President Trump says he got along "very well" with John Bolton, but "he made some very big mistakes." "He wasn't getting along with people in the administration that I consider very important," he adds https://t.co/Ic1Xe9mmVb pic.twitter.com/xx9VpS8ZGh — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 11, 2019
Remarks by President Trump in Meeting on E-Cigarettes
Sept 12, 2019 -
In fact, my views on Venezuela, and especially Cuba, were far stronger than those of John Bolton. He was holding me back! https://t.co/FUGc02xiac
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2019
Jan 26, 2020 -
I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
Jan 28, 2020 -
Why didn’t John Bolton complain about this “nonsense” a long time ago, when he was very publicly terminated. He said, not that it matters, NOTHING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2020
June 17, 2020 -
Wacko John Bolton’s “exceedingly tedious”(New York Times) book is made up of lies & fake stories. Said all good about me, in print, until the day I fired him. A disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war. Never had a clue, was ostracized & happily dumped. What a dope!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
June 17, 2020 -
President Bush fired him also. Bolton is incompetent! https://t.co/vVW3rKiwSz
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
“I view him as a disgruntled employee. Very unhappy. Hated to leave. He was basically a man who was not happy to be leaving…
“The only thing I liked about Bolton was that everybody thought he was crazy…
“I realized early on…when I asked him the question, ‘So John, you were one of the people that were really pushing hard to go into the Middle East, to go into Iraq. Would you do it again?’ He said, Yes. And that’s where I said this guy is crazy.”
June 17, 2020 -
Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2020
Transcript of President Trump’s Interview With The Wall Street Journal
June 18, 2020 -
Bolton’s book, which is getting terrible reviews, is a compilation of lies and made up stories, all intended to make me look bad. Many of the ridiculous statements he attributes to me were never made, pure fiction. Just trying to get even for firing him like the sick puppy he is!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
June 18, 2020 -
When Wacko John Bolton went on Deface the Nation and so stupidly said that he looked at the “Libyan Model” for North Korea, all hell broke out. Kim Jong Un, who we were getting along with very well, went “ballistic”, just like his missiles – and rightfully so….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
….He didn’t want Bolton anywhere near him. Bolton’s dumbest of all statements set us back very badly with North Korea, even now. I asked him, “what the hell were you thinking?” He had no answer and just apologized. That was early on, I should have fired him right then & there!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
June 20, 2020 -
Wow, I finally agree with failed political consultant Steve Schmidt, who called Wacko John Bolton “a despicable man who failed in his duty to protect America.” Also stated that he should never be allowed to serve in government again. So true! Plain and simple, John Bolton,….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2020
…..who was all washed up until I brought him back and gave him a chance, broke the law by releasing Classified Information (in massive amounts). He must pay a very big price for this, as others have before him. This should never to happen again!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2020
June 20, 2020 -
BIG COURT WIN against Bolton. Obviously, with the book already given out and leaked to many people and the media, nothing the highly respected Judge could have done about stopping it…BUT, strong & powerful statements & rulings on MONEY & on BREAKING CLASSIFICATION were made….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2020
….Bolton broke the law and has been called out and rebuked for so doing, with a really big price to pay. He likes dropping bombs on people, and killing them. Now he will have bombs dropped on him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2020
June 22, 2020 -
I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view. He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar. See judge’s opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2020
June 22, 2020 -
Interesting guy. “Bolton is really dumb”. True, and he broke the law! https://t.co/bP52vXukId
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020
“Look, he’s admitted that he will lie. He’s admitted that there was a report that I saw where he will admit that he will lie in order to get the job done. I gave John Bolton and he lied. I gave you John Bolton, the great opportunity… He’s a liar. I fired him. I got him out. He was no good only want to do is bomb people. Now, I don’t mind having an opposing point of view. And frankly, I think I used him very well, because when people saw him, they know he was sort of crazy. And maybe it helped me negotiate good deals, frankly. But he was terrible. He had no personality. He had no warmth. What I don’t think I’ve ever seen this guy smile If you haven’t seen him smile. He said, John, do you have a smile? And he didn’t even know how to answer the question. No, John. John was washed up. And I took him and I gave him something he couldn’t get senate confirmed because they hated him. They hated him and they thought he was a whack job.
“I asked him, Do me a favor. Tell me. Are you still happy with the decision? You push it so hard to go into Iraq? He said, Yes. I said you’re happy we spent almost eight trillion dollars in the Middle East because of that decision, you think was a good decision? Yes. I said this guy’s bad. and then of course, the Libyan model. You remember the Libyan model, one of the stupidest things ever said on television was said by John Bolton, so he was pretty much gone early on, but we kept him around.”
June 22, 2020 -
CBN, June 22, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: President Trump's Response to John Bolton's Book
June 23, 2020 -
Washed up Creepster John Bolton is a lowlife who should be in jail, money seized, for disseminating, for profit, highly Classified information. Remember what they did to the young submarine sailor, but did nothing to Crooked Hillary. I ended up pardoning him – It wasn’t fair!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020
Aug 11, 2020 -
John Bolton, one of the dumbest people I’ve met in government and sadly, I’ve met plenty, states often that I respected, and even trusted, Vladimir Putin of Russia more than those in our Intelligence Agencies. While of course that is not true, if the first people you met from….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2020
..so called American Intelligence were Dirty Cops who have now proven to be sleazebags at the highest level like James Comey, proven liar James Clapper, & perhaps the lowest of them all, Wacko John Brennan who headed the CIA, you could perhaps understand my reluctance to embrace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2020
Sept 7, 2020 -
Just heard that Wacko John Bolton was talking of the fact that I discussed “love letters from Kim Jong Un” as though I viewed them as just that. Obviously, was just being sarcastic. Bolton was such a jerk!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2020
#DonaldTrump 4/11/18: "Feels great to have ❲John❳ Bolton…on board. I (we) are doing things that nobody thought possible." » #Trump 6/23/20: "Washed up Creepster John Bolton is a lowlife who should be in jail." Click To Tweet
All former Bush administration officials should have zero standing on Syria. Iraq was a waste of blood & treasure.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013