Former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton (R) is set to announce his presidential plans on Thursday, according to a spokesman with the John Bolton PAC. He will make the decision around noon and post a video on Facebook. Then, he will join the media for a conference call.
Ambassador Bolton has been prolific on the campaign trail as he has weighed a presidential bid. He has traveled frequently to Iowa and New Hampshire and participated in CPAC. However, he is not included in most polls and has not attracted much of the spotlight.
Bolton’s speeches have mainly consisted of attacks on President Obama’s foreign policy, with Bolton advocating for more of a hawkish foreign policy. This could place him into competition with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who is focuses extensively on foreign policy, especially with the hawk section of the Republican Party. This could also mean that one of the Republican Party’s main internal debates, foreign policy, could be on center stage when it comes to the presidential nomination debates. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has argued for more of an isolationist policy while Bolton and Graham strongly disagree.
Bolton’s criticisms of President Obama focus mainly on the Middle East, such as the Iranian nuclear deal and ISIS.
Bolton was Ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush and also served in the Reagan and Bush 41 Administrations.