AlterNet
Friday morning, August 22 brought a major bombshell when the news broke that the FBI was searching the Bethesda, Maryland home of former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who served in President Donald Trump's first administration but is now a major critic of him.
The search was still being conducted when Trump held a press conference. Here are five of the wildest moments.
1. Trump obsessed over 'outside cubes' in Washington
Trump told reporters, "I can't use bad language, but it's been so badly run. And they built these cubes outside, these cubes. And there's stairways that go down to little rooms that nobody uses. It's so crazy what they did. They spend hundreds of millions of dollars. It's like throwing money out the window. They built cubes. All it does is block off the view."
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2. Trump said World Cup will have 'primary office' in the Kennedy Center
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Philadelphia and is being aggressively promoted by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philly Mayor Cherrelle Parker, both Democrats. But Trump, during his presser, played up what he said was the World Cup's connection to the Kennedy Center. Trump told reporters, "The World Cup is going to have its primary office in the Kennedy Center. And again, I want to thank our board for the Kennedy Center. They have been absolutely incredible."
3. Trump slammed Bolton but said he 'worked out great for me'
Trump said of Bolton, "He wants to always kill people, and he's very bad at what he does. But he worked out great for me because every time he doesn't talk — he's like a very quiet person, except on television. If he could say something bad about Trump, he'll always do that. But he really doesn't talk. He's quiet, and I'd walk into a room with him with a foreign country, and the foreign country would give me everything because they said: Oh no, they're going to get blown up. Because John Bolton is there. He's a not a smart guy."
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4. Trump claimed to 'know nothing' about FBI search
Trump told reporters, "He could be a very unpatriotic guy. We're going to find out. I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning. They did a raid."
5. Trump claimed to be the United States' 'chief law enforcement officer'
When a reporter asked Trump if he expected the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to "brief" him on the FBI's Bolton search, he responded, "Yeah…. They'll brief me probably today sometime. And I don't want — I tell (U.S. Attorney General) Pam (Bondi) and I tell the group: I don't want to know about this. You have to do what you have to do. I don't want to know about it. It's not necessary. I could know about it. I could be the one starting it. I'm actually the chief law enforcement officer, but I feel that it's better this way."
The press conference is receiving plenty of discussion on X, formerly Twitter.
Bob Pickard tweeted, "Quite the picture on CNN right now as Trump questions the patriotism of – and defends the FBI raid on – John Bolton, and says that he is 'chief law enforcement officer.' Then claims to be a 'fan' of TikTok downplaying security concerns about China while wearing an absurd cult of personality cap emblazoned with 'Trump Was Right About Everything.' A rambling narcissistic rant full of buffoonery and b-------, slander and smear."
Decoding Fox News commented, "Don't worry about grocery prices or the Epstein files Trump wants retribution and a ballroom. Trump Administration Live Updates: F.B.I. Searches Home and Office of John Bolton, a Former Trump Adviser."
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Watch CNN's videos of President Donald Trump's August 22, 2025 press conference below or at this link.
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