John Bolton served as national security advisor to President Donald Trump from 2018 to 2019. He was previously the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and is the author of The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.
The following interview was conducted by the Kirk Documentary Group’s Michael Wiser for FRONTLINE on Sept. 29, 2022. It has been edited for clarity and length.
This interview is being published as part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind our documentaries. Explore the transcript of this interview, and others, on the FRONTLINE website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interview-collection/putin-and-the-presidents/
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I guess thinking for yourself is only a KGB thing? Impressive analogy there.
I had some real issues with Bolton in the days of Bush-43 and his work in the UN, but the more I listen to him now, I learn from him, and he makes a lot of sense.
Thank you so much mr John Bolton USA
how did john bolton become acceptable in society again? wasnt this guy one of the architects of the shameful iraq war? an illegal war based on lies
So your view of Putin was wrong. Omg, you make mistakes too? You’re smart and have a lot to offer but you’re a bitter. Ex and that’s chat comes out. And
At the 47:44 mark he says he “never hesitated†to share his own view but he did have a chance to testify in front of Congress which was his best opportunity to put America first.🇺🇸â˜ï¸st Always.
Always enjoy hearing John Bolton, even if i don't always agree with him. He's educated experienced and informed.
Jobhn Bolton.😂 What a dem tool. Sad really.
I cannot believe this guy is still hanging around . I though he would have bought a used car space in north Dakota.
This is one of the biggest war monger on the planet! He is one of Chaney's hit men!! Just a communist with fancy suit!!
War pig.
Traitor. How's it going in hell? 🤣
Putin build multipolar world,america gegemon
Being a Neocon, John Bolton is what we in the service used to call a "Chicken Hawk": A pusscake who has never served in the armed forces or refused to serve when their country needed them to or gave them the chance; and yet remain the loudest possible advocate for an armed conflict in which neither them nor their loved ones would fight.
In his youth, Bolton joined the National Guard as soon as he saw the Vietnam War draft was imminent just to get a deferment and avoid deployment and never saw active duty; yet at the same time was a huge outspoken "supporter" for the military and was known to have bullied and publicly humiliated his friends who didn't want to be drafted either (he even bullied and mocked those who were ineligible due to physical disabilities); and he also went to public anti-war protests to threaten those who opposed the war (even then as a student, he was very brave but only from afar and loved the military but just didn't want it anywhere near him, just like Liberals love migrants but just until they reach Martha's Vineyard after which they have armed soldiers forcibly remove them to a migrant camp).
Since then, Bolton has become a bureaucratic tapeworm who has officially advised Presidents to start wars against Irak, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Mexico, Vietnam, Libya, Kosovo and China.
Other classic examples of Chicken Hawks are Max Boot, Victoria Nuland, Mitt Romney, Bill Kristol, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Krugman, Thomas Friedman, Nikki Hayley, Dick Cheney (also dodged the Vietnam draft claiming unspecified "knee problems"), David Frum, Kurt Volker, Lindsey Graham, Robert Kagan, Michael Moynihan and John Kerry (who desperately tried to avoid the draft and after being conscripted shot and wounded himself in order to get a Purple Heart and be sent back; now he presents himself as "war hero" and flaunts about his undeserved Purple Hearts).
You hush up, go to Mojahedin to pocket some money .
This guy has Russia, Putin, and Trump dialed, 100.0%. He's also totally right about Obama's misreading of and weak response to the Russian aggression towards Georgia and Ukraine, and Biden's failure to deter the Feb 2022 invasion.
Unfortunately for the West, Trump IS a fool, and IS easily manipulated because he's a victim of his narcissism.
If this idiot withdraws from NATO, there will be war in Europe within a year or so. Mark my words.
☠ï¸ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡²â˜ ï¸ðŸ‘¹"AmeriKKKa"👹☠ï¸ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡²â˜ ï¸
Bolton is naïve and ineffective. One may argue he is not naive. Yet, there is no argument that he is ineffective.
Nicolo Machiavelli set forth principles of rulers in his book, The Prince. A good ruler must know how to do great evil and harm. Otherwise, he will be outdone by his adversaries. Russian rulers are mostly evil people. Gorchov was an anomaly of a Russian president. He was a good man and ruler. So was Yeltsin. However, the rest are evil people, and so are most Russians who must be delt with accordingly.
Patently, Secretary Bolton, has worked on a failed strategy. The only way to come to a satisfactory conclusion of relations with Russia is to defeat that country.
Happy New Year
I am 99.9 percent correct. .1 percent only means it has not happened yet.
Very knowledgeable with clear vision on foreign policy and well spoken. Very valuable advisor
A1 ture information and facts thanks ðŸ‘
John Bolton is the classic you can fool some of the people all of the time you can fool all of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. John Bolton is terrified to testify under oath. How will Bolton avoid the Trump defamation trial?