The home and office of President Donald Trump‘s former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has become a fierce critic of the President, were searched by the FBI on Friday. On Monday, the Washington Examiner published an op-ed by Bolton titled, ‘Trump’s Utterly Incoherent Ukraine Strategy.’
Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the second George W. Bush administration, shared a link to the article on social media with the first sentence: “Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy today is no more coherent than it was last Friday when his administration executed search warrants against my home and office. Collapsing in confusion and haste, Trump’s negotiations may be in their last throes, along with his Nobel Peace Prize campaign.”
Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy today is no more coherent than it was last Friday when his administration executed search warrants against my home and office. Collapsing in confusion and haste, Trump’s negotiations may be in their last throes, along with his Nobel Peace Prize…
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) August 26, 2025
Bolton wrote: “The administration has tried to camouflage its disarray behind social media posts, such as Trump comparing his finger-pointing at Russian President Vladimir Putin to then-Vice President Richard Nixon during the famous kitchen debate with Nikita Khrushchev. Why Trump wants to be compared to the only president who resigned in disgrace is unclear. Trump also asserted Ukraine can only win by attacking inside Russia, even as his own Defense Department blocked Kyiv from missile strikes doing just that, reversing the Biden administration’s policy. Russia’s attack on a U.S.-owned factory in Ukraine, which Moscow hasn’t acknowledged, only highlighted the disarray.”
Reactions to Bolton’s article on social media are mostly predictable: while several MAGA supporters are leaving comments suggesting that Bolton will go to prison (although no crime has charged), several U.S. military veterans are voicing their agreement with Bolton.
Retired Army Military Intelligence Officer Jon Sweet replied: “Getting Zelensky to stop resisting isn’t a strategy. They need to get Putin to stop attacking – and that means actually doing something. A forcing function – pull the trigger on the sanctions bill and get Ukraine the weapon systems they need to win.”
U.S. Navy veteran Steve Corley replied: “Mr. Bolton, I’m no fan of yours. Not by a long shot. But this is so obviously vengeance. The petty and childish behavior coming from the WH has dire consequences and is causing serious harm to our nation. There seems to be no one capable of stopping him, and that’s what infuriates me.”
Mr. Bolton, I’m no fan of yours. Not by a long shot. But this is so obviously vengeance. The petty and childish behavior coming from the WH has dire consequences and is causing serious harm to our nation. There seems to be no one capable of stopping him, and that’s what…
— Steve Corley, USN (74-85) 🇺🇸 💙 (@QueensNY1957) August 26, 2025
.jpg){kind=link}