John Bolton is writing a book about the Trump administration — and White House officials are reportedly concerned
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton looks ready to have his say.
Exactly one month after his exit, Axios reported Thursday Bolton is planning to write a book about his time in the Trump administration. He's reportedly being represented by Javelin's Matt Latimer and Keith Urbahn, who previously represented former FBI Director James Comey.
President Trump and Bolton parted on bad terms, to say the least, with Trump announcing in September he fired Bolton, only for Bolton to immediately begin texting reporters to say he actually resigned. The two reportedly got into a "bitter argument" right before his ouster about Trump's plan to host the Taliban at Camp David.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Almost immediately after Bolton was gone, Trump began publicly trashing him, telling reporters the day following his exit he "made some very big mistakes" and "got us into Iraq."
"I hope we've left in good stead, but maybe we haven't," Trump added.
It seems safe to say they haven't, especially since Bolton reportedly "ripped" Trump at a private event in September. Now, Axios reports senior White House officials have "privately expressed concerns about what Bolton might say and reveal about his time serving Trump." Trump himself, clearly, won't be happy with Bolton's plans. The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey reports that when former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly left the administration, Trump specifically asked him not to write a book; he has reportedly told aides, "I hate these books."
Although Bolton said last month he has a "self-imposed restriction" about going into details about his White House tenure, he vowed after his ouster that he'd "have my say in due course." This book will give him a platform to do just that, and The Daily Beast reported last month Bolton was already speaking with literary agents about writing it, with one source saying, "He has a lot to dish."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Sean Bean brings ‘charisma’ and warmth to Get BirdingThe Week Recommends Surprise new host of RSPB’s birdwatching podcast is a hit
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
