Trump calls John Bolton a ‘lunatic’ after guilty plea, says he should be ‘dealt with harshly’
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sharply criticized his former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Friday, June 26, after he pleaded guilty to illegally retaining classified information tied to his time in the White House as part of a plea agreement with the Justice Department.
In a Truth Social post, the Republican leader called Bolton "a terrible person" and said he hoped his former ally would be "dealt with harshly."
John Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty! He is a terrible person, a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars, and who was a needless pusher of death and destruction wherever he went.… pic.twitter.com/rcPHOKuJ2T
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 27, 2026
Trump calls John Bolton 'a needless pusher of death and destruction'
Shortly after Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of illegally retaining classified information, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize his former national security adviser and call for a tough punishment.
"John Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty!" Trump wrote.
"He is a terrible person, a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars, and who was a needless pusher of death and destruction wherever he went," the 80-year-old president added, before concluding, "Hopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!"
Bolton served as Trump's national security adviser from April 2018 until September 2019 before leaving the administration following disagreements over foreign policy. Since then, he has become one of Trump's most prominent Republican critics, publishing the 2020 memoir 'The Room Where It Happened', which detailed his time inside the administration.
Federal prosecutors alleged Bolton improperly retained more than 1,000 pages of notes containing classified national defense information, including material later used in his memoir. According to the indictment, some of the information was shared through his personal email account and a messaging application with family members who did not hold security clearances.
John Bolton's lawyer says he 'took responsibility for a mistake he made'
Appearing before a federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of illegal retention of classified information after initially facing an 18-count indictment.
When asked by the court whether he was guilty, he replied, "I am, your honor. I'm sorry for it."
Under the plea agreement, Bolton faces a maximum prison sentence of five years, a $2.25 million fine, and forfeiture of his federal pension. His sentencing is scheduled for October.
Bolton's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said his client accepted responsibility while arguing that the plea avoided further disclosure of sensitive information. "He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information," Lowell said.
He also contrasted Bolton's case with the classified documents prosecution previously brought against Trump, which was dismissed after his re-election. "Ambassador Bolton, whose offense was only keeping a diary which contained classified information, kept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself," Lowell said.
The indictment also alleged that classified information remained in Bolton's personal email account after he left government service and that the account was later compromised by a hacker linked to the Iranian government.
