Asked if he believes President Donald Trump, the former boss he lambasts in a book released Tuesday, would peaceful surrender power after an election loss, John Bolton told The Washington Post he can only "hope."
"I think in the Trump administration you can't be certain of anything," Bolton told The Post's Robert Costa in a virtual interview.
Bolton added that as a conservative, he fears the prospects of the November election, calling them "unhappy."
"I wish we weren't faced with this choice," he added. "I wish there were a real, conservative Republican on the ballot. But there's not. It's not going to be a happy time."
Bolton said he will be working for the Republican majority to be "preserved" in the Senate, adding that "whether Trump wins or loses, that's absolutely critical."
But, Bolton added, can only hope Trump makes good on his promise to facilitate a peaceful transition of power.
"Well, I certainly hope so, and I think it's important for Republicans, especially, to make that clear," Bolton told Acosta.
"This is something that, if we're not careful, I think, carrying the albatross of this administration around our necks any longer than necessary is going to cause great harm to the country, for sure, but to conservatives and Republicans as well.
"That outcome that you're describing would be absolutely the worst."
Regardless, Republicans are going to need to distance from the Trump era, Bolton claimed.
"I think it's critical of the party as an institution to have a discussion about how we proceed going forward, because otherwise I fear that the ramifications of the Trump four years in office will be very, very damaging. And, when it comes to national security, I think it's critical to have a strong Republican Party to make the case for strong American foreign policy."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.