John Bolton ‘Disappointed’ After Trump Removes His Secret Service Detail

Former national security adviser John Bolton confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has terminated the Secret Service protection granted to him.

Why it matters

Bolton, a national security hawk who played a key role in shaping US foreign policy during the first Trump administration, has continued to demand Secret Service protection due to threats from Iran even after leaving the White House in 2019.

After Bolton was fired by Trump, the president terminated his security detail. Former President Joe Biden reinstated the protections when he took office in 2021.

“In 2022, the Justice Department filed charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official for trying to hire an assassin to target me. That threat still exists, as shown by the recent arrest of someone who tried to orchestrate the assassination of President Trump. It the American people can decide for themselves which president made the right call,” Bolton said in his statement to CNN.

What to know

On Tuesday, former national security adviser John Bolton expressed frustration and disappointment over former President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke his Secret Service protection just hours after returning to the White House.

“I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has made this decision,” Bolton said in a Tuesday statement to CNN. “Despite my criticism of President Biden’s national security policies, he made the decision to extend Secret Service protection to me in 2021.”

Bolton, who also held senior national security roles in the Bush administration, is known for his tough stance on Iran. He opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, which curbed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing US sanctions, and urged Trump to withdraw from it after taking office.

In May 2018, about a month after Bolton became his national security adviser, Trump pulled the United States out of the deal. Trump later fired Bolton in September 2019, citing strong disagreement with many of his positions.

Bolton has previously warned that a second Trump administration could be as “chaotic” as the first.

What people say

President-elect Donald Trump wrote in a January 2023 Truth Social post:“I found John Bolton to be one of the dumbest people in government, but I’m proud to say I used him well.”

Bolton said that earlier Newsweek: “President Trump lacked the focus needed to see the strategy through. It was challenging to maintain his attention on any single issue.”

What’s next

Trump also used an executive order to revoke “any active or current security clearance” of 51 former intelligence officials, including Bolton, who signed a 2020 letter casting doubt on the origins of the Hunter Biden laptop story.

“The signatories of the letter falsely suggested that the news story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign,” the CEO said.

Included on the list are former National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper Jr., former Central Intelligence Agency directors Michael Hayden and John Brennan, and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Update: 1/21/25, 3:23 PM ET: This article has been updated with additional information.