Ambassador John Bolton served as National Security Advisor to President Trump for 453 days. One of America’s most experienced international relations advisors, Bolton has served every Republican president since Reagan. In his time with the Trump administration, he dealt with chemical attacks in Syria, G7 showdowns and the Kim Jong Un negotiations. As an unabashed national security hawk — and given his long and distinguished vita — Bolton's criticisms of Trump’s handling of US foreign policy are credible and compelling, detailed in his book The Room Where it Happened. 

Our conversation with Ambassador Bolton focussed on elements of Trump administration policy — and changes in US strategic thinking — of relevance to Australia’s national interests: strategic competition with China as a foundation of US policy, evolving expectations of alliance partners, US leadership, the likely direction of US policy under either a second Trump administration or a Biden administration.

The webinar event featured Ambassador John Bolton in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Perth USAC CEO Gordon Flake.

Ambassador John Bolton is the former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump. He served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006. He has spent many years of his career in public service and held high-level positions in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Regan, George HW Bush and George W Bush. Ambassador Bolton is also an attorney and was in private practice in Washington DC from 1974 to 2018, except when he was in government service.