In 2018, John Bolton accepted an invitation from then-President Donald Trump to serve as White House national security advisor.

Yet Bolton has since become a loud critic of his former boss and recently alleged that Trump will give a "present" to America's enemies by withdrawing from NATO. 

Bolton "convinced" that Trump "would make the rulers in the Kremlin very happy"

According to The Sun, Bolton made that and other claims when he sat down for an interview with the newspaper earlier this week.

Regarding the prospect of an American exit from NATO, Bolton said, "That would be incredibly damaging to the West as a whole, but to the United States – not just in the North Atlantic, but globally."

"It would make the rulers in the Kremlin very happy to see this disarray in the West," the longtime Washington figure continued.

"It’s just an act of stupidity to break up, really, human history's most successful political and military alliance, but I am convinced Trump will try to do it," he added.

Former White House communications director says Trump would "100%" pull out

Bolton went on to insist that a second Trump administration would be a blessing "for Xi Jinping, and a lot of other people because his [Trump’s] knowledge of international affairs is very minimal."

"They know what the interests of their country are very clearly and they pursue them. Whereas Donald Trump pursues the advantage for Donald Trump," the former national security advisor declared.

Bolton is not alone in predicting that Trump would attempt to pull out of NATO, as former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci offered a similar assessment.

"Trump would 100% do that," Scaramucci was quoted as saying. "Remember, he wants to bring the country inward. He wants to isolate the country from the rest of the world."

"He'll try to rip up the treaties that have helped the world have peace and prosperity since the end of the Second World War," Scaramucci predicted.

Trump secured a 2018 pledge from Europe's NATO members to increase spending

Trump has long been known for complaining that NATO countries have failed to pay their "fair share" as members of alliance.

Fox News reported in 2018 that the then-president had secured a commitment from European governments to boost defense spending.

This pledge came in the form of a declaration stating they are "committed to improving the balance of sharing the costs and responsibilities of alliance membership."