During an interview with Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT on April 29, 2016, Bolton praised a foreign policy speech given by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump two days earlier in Washington, D.C. “I think it’s something that demonstrated a very serious effort on his part to address a global picture on foreign policy," said Bolton. "I wish the campaign had let him do it six or eight months ago.”

During an interview with Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT on April 29, 2016, Bolton praised a foreign policy speech given by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump two days earlier in Washington, D.C. “I think it’s something that demonstrated a very serious effort on his part to address a global picture on foreign policy," said Bolton. "I wish the campaign had let him do it six or eight months ago.”

On April 28, 2016, the Washington Times reported that the John Bolton PAC has endorsed 37 candidates and contributed nearly $290,000 collectively to maintain the Republican House and Senate majorities in the November 2016 elections. "It is of the utmost importance that we keep these majorities intact for our next Republican president,” said Bolton.

On April 28, 2016, Bolton was interviewed by Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon on his Sirius XM radio show. Bolton excoriated President Barack Obama for his foreign policy, stating: "Back in the 2008 election, [President Obama] went and made a very big campaign speech in Berlin, and the Europeans and others around the world were so eager to see the back of [outgoing President] George W. Bush, they hailed him as almost a new messiah. He won the Nobel Peace Prize within eight or ten months of being in office.  He was going to change the United States in ways that would make everything better. But, in fact, they see—I think people all around the world, in the countries of Europe, where he’s visiting Saudi Arabia, in Israel in particular, but really all around the world—that his policies have now endangered what minimal order and stability there is in the world. The kind of United States that Obama’s created, the kinds of policies he’s followed, have left not only America less stable, but our friends around the world less stable, too.”

On April 28, 2016, Bolton was interviewed by Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon on his Sirius XM radio show. Bolton excoriated President Barack Obama for his foreign policy, stating: "Back in the 2008 election, [President Obama] went and made a very big campaign speech in Berlin, and the Europeans and others around the world were so eager to see the back of [outgoing President] George W. Bush, they hailed him as almost a new messiah. He won the Nobel Peace Prize within eight or ten months of being in office.  He was going to change the United States in ways that would make everything better. But, in fact, they see—I think people all around the world, in the countries of Europe, where he’s visiting Saudi Arabia, in Israel in particular, but really all around the world—that his policies have now endangered what minimal order and stability there is in the world. The kind of United States that Obama’s created, the kinds of policies he’s followed, have left not only America less stable, but our friends around the world less stable, too.”

Appearing on Fox News just hours after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivered a foreign policy speech in Washington, DC on April 27, 2016, Bolton attacks the Obama administration for an arms deal it negotiated with Iran in August 2015. "Now my view from the outset has been that signing this deal was a strategic mistake," said Bolton. "I don't think it can be fixed or renegotiated. I think it should be repudiated. That's something [Texas] Senator [Ted] Cruz has said is his position. But the key is to say, 'They will never get nuclear weapons' because the deal now puts them on a highway to nuclear weapons."

Appearing on Fox News just hours after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivered a foreign policy speech in Washington, DC on April 27, 2016, Bolton attacks the Obama administration for an arms deal it negotiated with Iran in August 2015. "Now my view from the outset has been that signing this deal was a strategic mistake," said Bolton. "I don't think it can be fixed or renegotiated. I think it should be repudiated. That's something [Texas] Senator [Ted] Cruz has said is his position. But the key is to say, 'They will never get nuclear weapons' because the deal now puts them on a highway to nuclear weapons."

In an interview with the Boston Herald on February 19, 2016, Bolton discussed the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and opined that the U.S. Senate should take no action to consider President Barack Obama's nominee for the Court, judge Merrick Garland, during the president's final year in office.

In an interview with Breitbart News on November 30, 2015, Bolton stated, “I don’t have much faith in the Democratic Party on national security grounds. I think there’s hardly a national security wing left in the Democratic Party.”

In an interview with Breitbart News on November 30, 2015, Bolton stated, “I don’t have much faith in the Democratic Party on national security grounds. I think there’s hardly a national security wing left in the Democratic Party.”

On November 16, 2015, Bolton spoke to Fox News “Justice” host Jeanine Pirro about the proposed relocation of refugees from Syria’s civil war in the United States. “We have no obligation to bring them into this country,” said Bolton. He added that the U.S. could reject refugees “without in anyway violating our humanitarian obligations.” When it was pointed out to Bolton that there is substantial vetting process in place for Syrian refugees coming into the country, he said, “I don’t know who else believes this other than the White House.” Finally, Bolton added his opinion that life in a refugee camp is “better than being in a war zone.”

On April 13, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Bolton stated, “You’ll remember, Jimmy Carter told us that we were suffering—we the American people—were suffering from a malaise. It turned out the only malaise we were suffering from was Jimmy Carter. And Ronald Reagan took care of that. I think we’re gonna take care of another malaise this November.” Bolton then compared President Barack Obama’s foreign policy to that of Ronald Reagan, stating, “Ronald Reagan was proud to be an American. How ‘bout that in a president for a change? We’ve got instead today, we’ve got our first post-American president in Barack Obama. He’s above all that patriotism stuff. He doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism. He says he does, but he doesn’t … Ronald Reagan believed deeply in American sovereignty. In his administration, U.S. foreign policy was not made at the United Nations. That’s not the approach of President Obama or today’s left in America. They’re constantly talking about giving up our sovereignty ... They do it almost expressly to undercut our Constitution … You know as well as I do, that once Obama is reelected, if that happens, and never has to face the voters again, it’s gonna be Katie-bar-the-door on his efforts to undermine our sovereignty and key constitutional freedoms.” Finally, Bolton expressed concerns about U.S. missile defense, stating, “The problem with Obama is that he sees American strength as provocative. When in fact it’s the exact opposite. It’s American weakness that’s provocative. And we have an American president who specializes in it.”

On April 13, 2012, in a speech at the NRA Convention in St. Louis, Bolton stated, “You’ll remember, Jimmy Carter told us that we were suffering—we the American people—were suffering from a malaise. It turned out the only malaise we were suffering from was Jimmy Carter. And Ronald Reagan took care of that. I think we’re gonna take care of another malaise this November.” Bolton then compared President Barack Obama’s foreign policy to that of Ronald Reagan, stating, “Ronald Reagan was proud to be an American. How ‘bout that in a president for a change? We’ve got instead today, we’ve got our first post-American president in Barack Obama. He’s above all that patriotism stuff. He doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism. He says he does, but he doesn’t … Ronald Reagan believed deeply in American sovereignty. In his administration, U.S. foreign policy was not made at the United Nations. That’s not the approach of President Obama or today’s left in America. They’re constantly talking about giving up our sovereignty ... They do it almost expressly to undercut our Constitution … You know as well as I do, that once Obama is reelected, if that happens, and never has to face the voters again, it’s gonna be Katie-bar-the-door on his efforts to undermine our sovereignty and key constitutional freedoms.” Finally, Bolton expressed concerns about U.S. missile defense, stating, “The problem with Obama is that he sees American strength as provocative. When in fact it’s the exact opposite. It’s American weakness that’s provocative. And we have an American president who specializes in it.”

In September 2011, National Rifle Association President David Keene announced the creation of an International Affairs Subcommittee under the NRA’s Legislative Policy Committee and appointed Bolton as chairman. Explaining why he picked Bolton to lead the committee, Keene said, “He may not be in the State Department anymore, but he’s as dedicated to preserving the Second Amendment as any NRA member and will be advising us on strategy as we confront our opponents in this newly dangerous forum.” The forum Keene was referring to is the United Nations. Keene has theorized that a small arms treaty being considered by the UN is designed to “destroy private gun ownership” in the United States. Bolton himself has suggested that the Obama administration is seeking to “use an international agreement as an excuse to get domestically what they couldn’t otherwise.”

During a speech at the 2011 annual National Rifle Association convention, Bolton said that President Barack Obama has “disdain for the American people.” He also said that the President is “using [the drug war] in Mexico, and the use of drugs in our own country, not to combat the illicit narcotic, but to use it as a foundation to argue for stricter gun controls at the federal level.”

In January 2011, Bolton called for the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) to be removed from the Department of State’s list of Foreign Terror Organizations at a conference hosted by MEK in Brussels, Belgium. According to the Department of State, “During the 1970s the MEK staged terrorist attacks inside Iran and killed several US military personnel and civilians working on defense projects in Tehran. Supported the takeover in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. In April 1992 conducted attacks on Iranian embassies in 13 different countries, demonstrating the group's ability to mount large-scale operations overseas.” MEK has also been accused of committing atrocities against Iraqi and Kurdish civilians while the group was allied with Saddam Hussein, and some Iranians refer to the organization’s leader, Masoud Rajavi, as “the Pol Pot of Iran.” When MEK attempted to ally itself with the populist 2009 Green Movement to remove Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office, Green Movement leadership rejected their overture, writing, “Countless first-rate analysts, scholars and human rights organizations—including Human Rights Watch—have determined that the MEK is an undemocratic, cultlike organization whose modus operandi vitiates its claim to be a vehicle for democratic change.” The Department of Justice has argued that challenging an organization’s designation as a terrorist group amounts to criminal material support of terrorism under the Supreme Court decision Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project.

During 2005 confirmation hearings regarding Bolton’s nomination for United States Ambassador to the United Nations by President George W. Bush, Members of Congress alleged that Bolton had distorted intelligence for political purposes a number of times while serving as Undersecretary of State from 2001-2005. In once instance, Bolton was accused of exaggerating Cuba’s weapons capability while trying to terminate the position of an intelligence officer who corrected Bolton’s misstatements. Government officials told TIME that Bolton frequently pressured the CIA to produce reports confirming his own views. One CIA official stated, “Whenever his staff sent testimony, speeches over for clearance, often it was full of stuff which was not based on anything we could find.” This type of behavior led then-Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) to call Bolton “the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be.” Fifty-nine former American diplomats (who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations) sent a letter to U.S. Senators opposing Bolton’s nomination. Senate Democrats filibustered the nomination and Bolton ended up receiving a recess appointment to the position by President Bush.

A line in President George W. Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address that made the case for war against Iraq pointed to a supposed attempt by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to acquire nuclear material from Nigeria. This now-discredited intelligence was promoted by Bolton in his position as Undersecretary of State. Days before Bush’s speech, the Department of State branded the intelligence (which had also been rejected by the CIA) as “dubious.” While Saddam Hussein’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction was a key justification for the War in Iraq, no such weapons were ever found.

In 1994, foreign aid worker Melody Townsel accused Bolton of waging an intimidation campaign against her after she wrote a letter complaining about the amount of funding her employer, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), received from a USAID private contractor that employed Bolton as a lawyer. According to Townsel, “Within hours after dispatching that letter my hell began. Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the halls of a Russian hotel—throwing things at me, shoving threatening letters under my door and generally behaving like a madman ... Mr. Bolton then routinely visited [my hotel] to pound on the door and shout threats … John Bolton put me through hell—and he did everything he could to intimidate, malign and threaten not just me, but anybody unwilling to go along with his version of events. His behavior back in 1994 wasn't just unforgivable, it was pathological,” she said. Townsel also said that Bolton falsely told her employer that she was being investigated for misuse of funds, made comments about her weight, and spread rumors that she was gay.

In 1994, foreign aid worker Melody Townsel accused Bolton of waging an intimidation campaign against her after she wrote a letter complaining about the amount of funding her employer, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), received from a USAID private contractor that employed Bolton as a lawyer. According to Townsel, “Within hours after dispatching that letter my hell began. Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the halls of a Russian hotel—throwing things at me, shoving threatening letters under my door and generally behaving like a madman ... Mr. Bolton then routinely visited [my hotel] to pound on the door and shout threats … John Bolton put me through hell—and he did everything he could to intimidate, malign and threaten not just me, but anybody unwilling to go along with his version of events. His behavior back in 1994 wasn't just unforgivable, it was pathological,” she said. Townsel also said that Bolton falsely told her employer that she was being investigated for misuse of funds, made comments about her weight, and spread rumors that she was gay.

In 1988, then-Congresswoman Pat Schroeder (D-CO) said, “Mr. Bolton's approach to maternity leave is: get pregnant, get interrogated, get fired,” after an incident in which Bolton denied a subordinate at the Department of Justice extended doctor-recommended leave after a difficult pregnancy. Bolton also threatened the woman with dismissal and legal action.

Lynne Finney, a former legal adviser to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), alleged that in 1982 or 1983, fellow USAID employee Bolton screamed that she was fired after she refused to lobby to loosen restrictions on the sale of baby formula in Third World countries. Finney refused, citing studies that demonstrated that formula was killing babies in Africa because it was often mixed with unclean water. Bolton reportedly told Finney “that Nestlé [a maker of formula] was an important company and that [Bolton] was giving [Finney] a direct order from President [Ronald] Reagan.” Finney discovered that Bolton did not have the authority to fire her, but blamed him for her reassignment to a basement office.