INTERNACIONAL
The history of how Trump and Bolton’s relationship fell to tatters
John Bolton returns home after FBI raid
Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker joins ‘America Reports’ to break down the FBI raid on former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home in Maryland and office in Washington, D.C.
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Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who served under President Donald Trump’s first administration, was the subject of FBI raids at his home and office Friday morning as federal authorities searched for classified documents.
The raids follow a storied history between Trump and Bolton that has devolved into the pair trading repeated political blows on the public stage.
News broke early Friday morning that FBI agents flocked around Bolton’s Maryland home and were seen carrying out boxes, which was followed hours later by the FBI raiding Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office.
«I’m not a fan of John Bolton,» Trump told reporters on Friday morning after the raids began, adding he saw the reports but was not aware of details on the raid ahead of time. «He’s a real sort of a lowlife.»
JOHN BOLTON BLASTED BY TRUMP ALLY ROGER STONE, WHO FACED BIDEN FBI RAID: ‘KARMA IS A B—-‘
FBI agents left John Bolton’s office in Washington after obtaining documents. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)
«He’s a very quiet person, except on television, if he can say something bad about Trump,» Trump added. «He’s not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.»
The remarks echo years of past comments the pair have shared in public forums airing their dissatisfactions with one another, most notably after Trump tapped Bolton to serve as his national security advisor in 2018.
Fox News Digital took a look back at the pair’s relationship since Trump’s mad dash to fill his first administration in 2017, through his ouster of Bolton as the national security advisor and the ongoing clashes the pair have shared since.
TRUMP–BOLTON FEUD BACK IN FOCUS AFTER FBI RAID: ‘NEVER HAD A CLUE … WHAT A DOPE!’
«I like (Bolton),» Trump said in 2015 while appearing on «Meet the Press» just weeks after announcing his candidacy for the White House. «I think he’s, you know, a tough cookie, knows what he’s talking about.»
President Donald Trump said he was not aware of the raids on John Bolton’s home and office before they were carried out Aug. 22, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press )
Bolton was first speculated as a likely pick to serve as Trump’s secretary of state in December 2016, when Trump was preparing for his first inauguration after his upset victory over Hillary Clinton in the election that year. Pundits touted Bolton as an experienced foreign policy hawk who could bolster Trump’s diplomatic agenda, and conservative outlets such as the National Review’s editorial board implored the Trump transition team to choose Bolton, identifying him as a «hard-headed realist whose focus is always the national interest.»
JAMES COMER PRAISES KASH PATEL FOR ‘HOLDING DEEP STATE ACCOUNTABLE’ AS FBI RAIDS JOHN BOLTON’S HOME
Trump, however, ultimately tapped Rex Tillerson to serve as secretary of state.
Bolton showered Trump with praise of his own ahead of his confirmation as national security advisor in 2018, calling the president «a terrific guy» who «knows a lot» when the administration kicked off in 2017.
John Bolton served as President Trump’s national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, for a total of about 17 months. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The warm relationship got cozier when Trump announced in 2018 on X that he called on Bolton to serve as his national security advisor
«I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9.»
«I didn’t really expect that announcement this afternoon,» Bolton said on Fox News shortly after the announcement. «But it’s obviously a great honor and always an honor to serve our country.»
FBI agents outside the Maryland home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton Aug. 22, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
The pair found common ground on issues such as withdrawing the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal, which was an Obama-era agreement with other world powers to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Trump ultimately pulled the U.S. out of the agreement in 2018, slamming it as a «horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,» and was backed by his hawkish group of foreign policy advisors, such as Bolton and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Bolton’s relationship with Trump began to sour as he advanced hard-line strategies toward U.S. adversaries, including Iran and North Korea. He had long advocated regime change in Tehran, though he later clarified in his role as national security advisor that American policy was «not regime change,» but rather a push for «massive change in the regime’s behavior.» Trump, by contrast, initially favored a more diplomatic path, urging that flaws he saw in the Iran nuclear deal be renegotiated before ultimately deciding to withdraw from the agreement altogether.
BOLTON TWEET DURING RAID SHOWS FOCUS WAS ELSEWHERE AS FBI SEARCHED HIS HOUSE
«John Bolton is absolutely a hawk. If it was up to him, he’d take on the whole world at one time, okay?» Trump said of Bolton in June 2019, underscoring the bubbling tensions between the two on foreign policy.
In April 2018, Bolton suggested North Korea follow Libya’s example of denuclearization, which he called the «Libya model,» and included the country giving up its nuclear weapons in 2003 in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Bolton’s comments about such a model for North Korea set off condemnation in Pyongyang as they raised concerns this would lead to potential regime change.
Trump cited the comment following Bolton’s abrupt exit from the White House in September 2019.
«We were set back very badly when John Bolton talked about the Libyan model … what a disaster,» Trump told reporters at the time.
Days ahead of Bolton’s ouster, Trump was slated to meet with Taliban leaders in an effort to negotiate peace in Afghanistan, but the meeting never took place and Bolton reportedly slammed such an effort in conversations with Trump, media outlets reported at the time.
FBI agents load bags into a vehicle after conducting a search at the Washington, D.C., office of former National Security Advisor John Bolton on Aug. 22, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)
Bolton was ousted from his role as national security advisor Sept. 10, 2019, with Trump characterizing the departure as a firing, and Bolton saying he tendered his resignation and was not fired.
JOHN BOLTON’S HOME RAIDED BY FEDERAL AGENTS, SOURCES SAY
«I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,» Trump tweeted in 2019. «I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.»
Bolton shot back on X that he «offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’»
The former national security advisor was replaced by Robert C. O’Brien, with Trump and Bolton continuing their contentious relationship years later.
The raid on Bolton’s home is part of the «early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton,» Vice President JD Vance said Friday during an appearance on «Meet the Press.» Bolton was not arrested or in custody amid the early morning raids.
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The searches are focused on potential classified documents agents believe Bolton may still possess, Fox News reported.
politics,fbi,national security,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Conservatives torch media after Mamdani avoids Musk-level backlash over ‘identical’ on-stage gesture
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Conservatives are calling out what they say is a media double standard after newly sworn-in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was seen extending his arm during his inauguration Thursday — a gesture they argue mirrors a motion Elon Musk made a year ago that ignited widespread headlines accusing the tech billionaire of delivering a «Nazi salute.»
«Not a single one of these legacy media outlets reported on Mamdani’s identical hand gesture which they called @elonmusk a nazi for Do you see what’s happening?» popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted Friday, accompanied by screenshots of media outlets stretching from the Guardian to Vox reported on accusations that Musk delivered a «Nazi-style salute» to Trump supporters Jan. 20.
Liberals and critics frequently attacked Trump while he was on the campaign trail by calling him a Hitler-esque fascist, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who compared Trump to the German dictator during a town hall in the final stretch of the 2024 election cycle. Musk attended Trump’s inaugural parade in 2025, where he spoke to supporters and was accused of giving a Hitler-style salute to the crowds — a narrative that was promoted by Democrats such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Musk and Republicans lambasted and mocked the accusations when they cropped up, including the tech billionaire floating a potential defamation lawsuit against Walz for promoting the claim.
CRITICS SAY MAMDANI’S VOW TO SWAP ‘RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM’ WITH ‘WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM’ HAS SINISTER UNDERTONE
Fast-forward nearly a year, conservatives are questioning why Mamdani has not faced similar accusations after he was seen extending his arm in a gesture similar to Musk’s.
«Zohran Mamdani did the same exact gesture today at his swearing in that the left called a ‘Nazi salute’ when @elonmusk did it,» former liberal and WalkAway — a movement encouraging people to leave the Democratic Party — founder Brandon Straka posted to X.
«They lie,» Musk posted to X Friday in response to Libs of TikTok’s message showing a swath of headlines from earlier in 2025 reporting that the tech billionaire allegedly gave a Nazi salute.
«HOLY CRAP! Zohran Mamdani just did the EXACT SAME gesture as Elon Musk When Elon does it, it’s a ‘Nazi salute.’ When communist Zohran does it, the media is silent. The media is the enemy of the people,» conservative commentator Eric Daugherty posted.
«Did Mamdani do a nazi salute?!?! Literally shaking rn I’m sure CNN and MSNBC will be all over this,» Libs of TikTok posted in another message mocking Democrats over their January comments targeting Musk.
BERNIE SANDERS DITCHES ICONIC MITTENS LOOK WHILE SWEARING IN SOCIALIST ZOHRAN MAMDANI AS NYC MAYOR
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the city’s 112 mayor on Jan. 1, 2026. (Fox News)
«When Elon signals his heart goes out to the crowd he’s a ‘NAZI’. When Mamdani does it, its perfectly fine… The left tried to use that signal from Elon to gaslight people into people into thinking he is a Nazi because they saw it as politically useful.. They are not ideologically consistent and their hypocrisy knows no bounds. They do NOT care about any of that. They just care about political power and feeling virtuous,» another posted.
«Zohran Mamdani can make this gesture and everyone loves him for it, but when Elon Musk does it? The leftist media wasted no time calling him a Nazi,» the Media Research Center posted to X.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, Jan.20, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP/ Getty Images)
Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, took office Thursday, with ceremonies that included a public swearing-in outside City Hall and an earlier private oath at the decommissioned City Hall subway station. Mamdani was seen lifting his hand from his heart to the crowds of supporters at the end of his speech during the public ceremony.
«I was elected as a Democratic socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic socialist,» he said.
FLASHBACK: INSIDE THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT PUT A SOCIALIST IN CHARGE OF NEW YORK CITY
«Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously,» Mamdani said, acknowledging that his agenda may not always succeed but insisting it would be bold. «To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.»
Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani becomes the first Muslim mayor of New York City, with the inauguration ceremony at City Hall, Manhattan, New York City, Jan. 1, 2026. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office regarding conservatives’ comments over the salute considering previous coverage of Musk, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Musk served as the Trump administration’s public leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Trump established at the start of his second administration to weed out fraud, government overspending and mismanagement from the federal government.
Musk was a common fixture of the administration — serving as a special government employee — until May, when Musk criticized Trump’s «big, beautiful bill» for raising the debt ceiling, fracturing the relationship. Musk and Trump have since been spotted at public events together, including chatting with one another.
MEDIA OUTLETS ACCUSE ELON MUSK OF GIVING ‘FASCIST SALUTE’ AT TRUMP INAUGURATION RALLY
Musk slammed comparisons to Nazis toward the end of his DOGE tenure, pointing to it as another example of the long-running attacks against Trump and his supporters.
«Well, I mean, look, it’s a relentless propaganda campaign, which obviously President Trump has experienced for a very long time, 20 years, maybe longer,» Musk said on Fox News’ «My View with Lara Trump» in May. «And politics is a blood sport, so they’re going to come up with whatever attacks they can to destroy the public perception of someone.»
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«Now, obviously, I’ve not harmed anyone in my life, so it’s an outrageous thing to claim that I’m a Nazi,» he added.
zohran mamdani,elon musk,politics,socialism
INTERNACIONAL
Protests spread across Iran as regime threatens US forces as ‘legitimate targets’ after Trump warning
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As nationwide protests continued to spread across Iran on Friday, the regime’s hardline Parliament speaker warned the U.S. that American forces and bases in the region would be considered «legitimate targets» if Washington intervenes in the country’s ongoing political unrest.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comments after President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that the U.S. would take action if Iran uses force against demonstrators. It comes as protests entered a sixth day and appear to be spreading, with Iranian opposition groups claiming at least eight deaths.
«The disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism,» Qalibaf wrote in Persian on X.
«Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy,» he added.
IRANIAN PROTESTERS CLASH WITH SECURITY FORCES AS TEAR GAS FILLS TEHRAN STREETS AMID NATIONWIDE UNREST
A protester faces Iranian security forces during clashes amid nationwide unrest, according to images released by the Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) (NCRI )
Qalibaf’s threat emerges as the United States maintains a substantial military presence in the region.
Roughly 40,000 active-duty U.S. troops and War Department civilians are deployed across the Middle East, according to Military Times, citing Pentagon officials. Forces are stationed in countries including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Syria, according to Reuters.
Trump said earlier Friday that the United States is «locked and loaded and ready to go» if Iranian authorities violently suppress demonstrators.
«If Iran shoots and ‘violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,’» Trump wrote on Truth Social.
US AIRSTRIKE ON NUCLEAR FACILITIES FOLLOWS YEARS OF IRANIAN PLOTS ON AMERICAN SOIL
The Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) claimed Friday that protests have spread to at least 44 cities across 19 provinces, with at least eight people killed in clashes with security forces over the past two days. The group said the youngest victim was 15 years old. The claims could not be independently verified.
According to the NCRI, demonstrations and street fighting intensified overnight, with protesters blocking roads, throwing stones and setting fire to police vehicles in multiple cities, including Marvdasht, Semirom, Darreh-Shahr, Ramhormoz and Azna.
The group also claimed demonstrators burned a statue of slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Lali, in Iran’s Khuzestan province.
Funerals of those killed in the uprising turned into angry demonstrations against the clerical dictatorship, NCRI reported.
Protesters hold signs during a demonstration in Iran amid ongoing unrest, according to images released by the Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran. (NCRI )
In Zahedan, in Iran’s southeast near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, demonstrators rallied after Friday prayers, chanting slogans including «Death to the dictator» and «Death to Khamenei.»
The unrest marks Iran’s most significant protests since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide demonstrations. Iranian officials say the current unrest has not reached the same scale or intensity.
EXILED PRINCE WARNS IRANIAN MILITARY OF ‘FINAL CHANCE’ TO STAND UP TO THE REGIME
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf speaks during a public event in Iran in 2024 (Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
In recent demonstrations, some of the most severe violence has been reported in western Iran, where videos circulating online appear to show fires burning in streets and the sound of gunfire during nighttime protests.
In a message to the protesters, the President-elect of the NCRI, Maryam Rajavi, said that the protesters have «struck fear into a weakened enemy.»
«Scenes of your courage, valor, and steadfast resistance captivate the conscience of the world,» Rajavi said. «Therefore, from here, I say to the clerics, the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij forces, and their intelligence agents: whatever measures you take, you will not be able to silence a people who have resolved to overthrow the clerical regime.»
«You may kill, you may wound, you may arrest and imprison, but you will not escape the relentless wrath of this nation. And let this stand as an explicit warning to all those who order and carry out these crimes and killings: the courts of a free Iran are awaiting you.»
Meanwhile, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Iran’s former shah, praised Trump’s «decisive leadership» and tough stance against Iran’s ruling clerics.
Pahlavi said Iranians are risking their lives to end 46 years of rule by the Islamic Republic.
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«[The people] have entrusted me with a message along with a great responsibility: to strive for the revival of the relationship that Iran once had with America; a relationship that brought peace and prosperity to the Middle East,» Pahlavi wrote on X.
«I have a clear plan for a stable transition in Iran and enjoy the support of my people to achieve it. With your leadership in the free world, we can leave behind a lasting legacy of enduring peace.»
Iranian security forces are seen near a crowd during demonstrations amid ongoing unrest, according to images released by the Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). (NCRI )
Fox News’ Bradford Betz, Greg Norman, Morgan Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
world,iran,middle east,donald trump,world politics,defense
James Luckey-Lange, de Staten Island, Nueva York, fue dado por desaparecido en Venezuela por su familia a principios de diciembre. Foto Eva Aridjis Fuentes.Casos
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