A video released two days before an FBI dawn warrant on John Bolton's home reiterates Bolton's long-held critique of Trump's transactional foreign policy. Bolton spent over 12 minutes criticizing Trump's handling of Russia, Ukraine, India-Pakistan, and tariffs and suggested Trump's promoted "list of accomplishments" aims at accruing a Nobel Peace Prize. A Pakistan nomination and U.S. support for Israel's actions and Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza undermine that prize. These inconsistent policies could provide Putin leverage over Trump regarding Ukraine. Bolton's criticisms extend beyond the video into his book and multiple interviews.
I doubt former National Security Adviser John Bolton expressed any new personal opinions in the video above with regard to Putin and Russia. Bolton's general opinion about Trump's transactional approach to international relations certainly isn't new. But Bolton spent more than 12 minutes airing out his opinions on Trump's handling of Russia, Ukraine, India-Pakistan, and tariffs. He also shared his opinion that Trump's so-called "list of accomplishments" is Trump trying to accrue to obtain a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump's handling of the India-Pakistan conflict in May earned an ego-fluffing nomination for a Nobel from Pakistan in June.
US support of Israel's bombing of Iran in July, supported by Bolton, makes the nomination a joke as does continuing US support of Netanyahu's genocidal handling of Gaza. These conflicting approaches to international relations may pose leverage for Putin to pressure Trump on Ukraine, using Trump's narcissistic desire for a Nobel Peace Prize - a prize former president Jimmy Carter, vice president Al Gore, and the first Black American president Barack Obama have been awarded. Bolton doesn't make this point but he does say Putin is manipulating Trump.
Bolton's criticism of Trump isn't limited to the video above, or his remarks in his 2020 book, In The Room Where It Happened. Bolton has been interviewed by many outlets here and abroad during which his criticisms are laid out and only growing as Trump continues to flog his erratic and transnational foreign policies. Here are a sampling of interviews with Bolton: John Bolton, whom Trump described as "a very dumb guy", is worried about Taiwan 60 Minutes Australia, May 4, 2025
Collection
[
|
...
]