A growing conflict between President Donald Trump and his former national security adviser, John Bolton, became very clear after an FBI search of Bolton’s home in Maryland. Trump, while speaking to reporters, used harsh words to describe his former aide, calling him a “lowlife.” The president’s comments highlighted a major breakdown in their relationship, which had already been damaged by Bolton’s public criticism and a previous legal fight over his memoir. The FBI’s search of Bolton’s home seemed to be related to a past investigation by the Justice Department into how classified information was handled. Although Trump said he was mostly unaware of the details of the raid and had only seen news reports about it on television, he mentioned that the Justice Department would update him on the situation. The investigation into Bolton had been a major issue during Trump’s first term, starting when Bolton planned to publish his book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir. Bolton has been a frequent critic of the president since leaving the administration. He previously told a news organization that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a clear victory at a recent meeting with Trump. USA Today reported that Trump has said, “I’m not a fan of John Bolton, he’s a real sort of a lowlife.” Trump’s former advisor in hot water with FBI Bolton also made public statements doubting Trump’s ability to serve as president. The former national security adviser’s actions after leaving the White House have caused a strong reaction from Trump, who has taken action to weaken him. Trump had previously taken away Bolton’s security clearance and his security detail, even though a foreign assassination plot against Bolton had been discovered. Trump just torched John Bolton as a warmonger after the FBI raided his home:"He was one of the people that forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East… he wants to always KlLL people.""He's not a smart guy…“No lies detected. pic.twitter.com/zqIg02iSSr— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 22, 2025 The hostility between the two men comes partly from the heated legal battle over Bolton’s book. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in June 2020 to stop its publication, stating that it contained a large amount of classified information, including some marked as “TOP SECRET.” The government claimed that Ellen Knight, a senior director for records access at the National Security Council, had found these classified details while reviewing the manuscript. However, Bolton’s lawyer, Chuck Cooper, argued that the lawsuit was an excuse to block the book and was an attack on free speech disguised as a matter of national security. In the end, a judge rejected the lawsuit’s request to stop the book from being released. Later, in 2021, during the next administration, the Justice Department ended both the civil lawsuit and a related criminal investigation. This decision brought the legal fight over the memoir to a close. When talking about his decision to hire Bolton in the first place, Trump said he did it because Bolton’s aggressive reputation in international affairs was a useful way to intimidate foreign governments. However, Trump has since changed his mind, now saying that Bolton is ineffective and disloyal. He described Bolton as a quiet person who only speaks up when he has something negative to say about Trump. The president finished his comments by doubting Bolton’s intelligence and patriotism, suggesting that Bolton’s true nature would eventually come to light.