U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he has withdrawn the Secret Service agents assigned to protect his former National Security Advisor John Bolton, calling him "stupid.
Bolton, 76 years old, who worked with Trump during his first term and was the target of an alleged Iranian assassination plot, expressed his "disappointment but not surprise" at the move.
In a press statement at the White House on Tuesday, Trump defended his decision, describing his former advisor as "foolish and stupid.
The president said, "We will not provide protection for people for the rest of their lives. Why should we do that?" adding, "You can't have this for your entire life.
Trump added, "I thought he was a very foolish person, but I used him well because every time people saw me enter a meeting with John Bolton standing behind me, they thought he would attack them because he was a war hawk.
Trump also revoked Bolton's security clearance, accusing him in an executive order of revealing "sensitive information from his time in the administration" in a book he published in 2020.