US National Security Advisor John Bolton’s departure from the Trump administration has been met with a mix of joy from the MAGA crowd and protests from dedicated neocons, but also with an avalanche of memes.

President Donald Trump announced Bolton’s dismissal by tweet on Tuesday, saying he had “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions,” presumably meaning his advocacy for military-enforced regime change in Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran. Bolton insisted that he attempted to resign before Trump’s announcement.

Reaction flowed in swiftly, with some commenters in the media lamenting the war-hawk’s departure. However, the discussion was punctuated with a steady flow of jokes and memes, poking fun at Bolton’s two undying loves: military conflict and the mustache of an 1800s prospector.



Trump: "Hey John, can you come in here a sec? Shut the door."Bolton: "What can I do for you, Mr. President?"Trump: "John, I mustache you for your resignation."Bolton: — Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) September 10, 2019

*John Bolton purchases a plane ticket to Iran and laughs maniacally as he twirls his mustache*Bolton: "Fine. I'll go start this war myself." — Adam Best (@adamcbest) September 10, 2019

John Bolton exit interview. pic.twitter.com/j6KvPzWpqh — Robert A George (@RobGeorge) September 10, 2019

At least John Bolton can return to doing what he loves most: living in the 1800s and yelling at Huckleberry Finn pic.twitter.com/tHW20mbVGw — Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) September 10, 2019

BREAKING: John Bolton’s mustache has been lowered to half-mast pic.twitter.com/ocnEym7Y6f — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 10, 2019

Rumors had circulated that, prior to his departure, Bolton and Trump had argued over a planned summit with Taliban leaders at Camp David. Though canceled after several attacks in Afghanistan, the summit –which Trump hoped would bring about an end to the 18-year conflict in Afghanistan– was roundly criticized by politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Some memers also wondered after the firing whether Bolton would follow the well-worn path from the White House to the cable news studios, where he could unload on the Trump administration as a ‘national security expert.’

John Bolton is going to get business cards made that say "Freelance War Advocate" and then "At Large" below that. — David Roth (@david_j_roth) September 10, 2019

I can't wait to watch how the MSNBC panels explain their newfound respect for John Bolton. — J.P. Freire (@JPFreire) September 10, 2019

Looking forward to John Bolton becoming a regular on Morning Joe roundtables. — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) September 10, 2019

Trump has not yet announced a replacement for Bolton, but said he will do so “next week.” The internet, meanwhile, had some suggestions.

Time to speculate about Bolton’s replacement, I guess. pic.twitter.com/i4FSalKPNr — Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) September 10, 2019

I will not comment on these rumors I have been asked to replace John Bolton — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) September 10, 2019

The chop-and-change nature of Trump’s administration –which has had a 77 percent turnover rate of executive-level advisers in two-and-a-half years– has been compared by some to the battle royale of ‘The Hunger Games.’ Whoever replaces Bolton may be smiling soon, but swift dismissal could soon follow.

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