Infographic

Bolton Only Made It 520 Days as National Security Advisor

This chart shows how that compares to the last 30 years of U.S. presidential security aides.

By
U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security advisors Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster, and John Bolton.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security advisors Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster, and John Bolton.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security advisors Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster, and John Bolton. Foreign Policy illustration/MANDEL NGAN/Andrew Harrer/Stephanie Keith/AFP/Getty Images

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that he had asked John Bolton to resign as national security advisor.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that he had asked John Bolton to resign as national security advisor.

Since the administration of President George H.W. Bush, most national security advisor appointees have served for an entire presidential term—or at least for several years. But Bolton is the fourth person to hold the post during Trump’s two and a half years in office. (Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster were appointed before him, and Keith Kellogg briefly served as an acting national security advisor between them.)

As seen in the chart below, Bolton’s 520 days in office—the longest of any of Trump’s national security advisors—still fall well short of James Jones, who was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama and who held the role for the fewest number of days prior to Trump over the past three decades.

C.K. Hickey was the interactives and features designer at Foreign Policy from 2015-2020. Twitter: @seekayhickey

Read More On Donald Trump | Leaders | National Security Agency

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