Mar 22, 2018

Meet John Bolton, Trump's new national security adviser

Khorri Atkinson

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference last month. Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Trump said Thursday that national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who's resigning, will be replaced by John R. Bolton, a hawkish former United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Quick facts about Bolton:

  • Axios' Jonathan Swan reported in early January citing sources saying Bolton is expected to be part "the next phase of Trump's national security team."
  • Bolton, a Fox News contributor, will take office on April 9th.
  • He served under President George W. Bush as both under secretary of state and ambassador to the UN.
  • One area where he and Trump contrast sharply is the Iraq War. Trump has called the war a “huge mistake,” while Bolton insists it was the correct move.
  • He and Trump are staunch opponents of the Iran nuclear deal, but Bolton has gone so far as to call for Iran to be bombed. He also wrote a WSJ op-ed last month titled: The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First.
  • Bolton served as one of Mitt Romney's foreign policy advisers during his 2012 presidential bid.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Bolton's title was under secretary of state, not assistant secretary of state.

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 1,203,923 — Total deaths: 64,795 — Total recoveries: 247,273 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 312,237 — Total deaths: 8,502 — Total recoveries: 14,997 — Map.
  3. Public health latest: CDC launches national trackers and recommends face coverings in public. Federal government will cover costs of COVID-19 treatment for uninsured. The virus is hitting poor, minority communities harder and upending childbirth.
  4. 2020 latest: "We have no contingency plan," Trump said on the 2020 Republican National Convention. "We're having the convention at the end of August."
  5. Business updates: Restaurants step up for health care workers. Employees are pressuring companies to provide protections during coronavirus.
  6. Oil latest: Monday meeting among oil-producing countries to discuss supply curbs is reportedly being delayed amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
  7. Education update: Many college-age students won't get coronavirus relief checks.
  8. 1 🏀 thing: The WNBA postpones start of training camps and season.
  9. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  10. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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