President Donald Trump lashed out at his former security adviser John Bolton Friday morning following the raid on the former Trump White House official's home, calling him a “low life,” while also claiming to have not been briefed on the operation.
“I don't know about it, I saw it on television this morning,” Trump said during an appearance at a museum in Washington, D.C., responding to a reporter who asked if he’d been briefed on the raid. “I'm not a fan of John Bolton, he's a real sort of a low life.”
Bolton’s home was raided early Friday morning by law enforcement as part of an investigation into mishandling of classified documents, though some Trump allies have theorized that the raid may be over a potential “conspiracy” to overthrow the president.
Trump continued to disparage Bolton, who he blamed in large part for America’s wars in the Middle East.
“He was one of the people that forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East,” Trump continued. “Bolton, he wants to always kill people, and he's very bad at what he does. Not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy; we're going to find out. I know nothing about it.”
Asked if he expected to be briefed on the raid, Trump said that he "probably" would be sometime on Friday, but insisted he preferred to be left in the dark ahead of operations launched by the Justice Department.
"I tell (Attorney General) Pam (Bondi) and I tell the group I don't want to know about it, you have to do what you have to do, I don't want to know about it ," Trump continued. "I could know about it, I could be the one starting it, I'm actually the chief law enforcement officer. But I feel that it's better this way."
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Trump says he wasn't aware of the raid on @AmbJohnBolton's home this morning until seeing it on TV, calls him a "low life." pic.twitter.com/FMc6Nlzk63
— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) August 22, 2025