• Mike Waltz
• National Security
• Trump

TRUMP SHAKES UP NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM, NOMINATES MIKE WALTZ AS UN AMBASSADOR

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  CapitalTimesNews / 3 weeks
• 0
• 3 min read

In a surprise move, President Donald Trump announced on May 1 that Mike Waltz, his national security adviser, would be leaving his White House post to take on a new role as the US ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz’s departure comes amid controversy surrounding a messaging chat with top national security officials that was accidentally shared with a journalist. Trump praised Waltz, saying, “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first.” Waltz expressed his gratitude, stating, “I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as national security adviser on an interim basis while continuing to lead the State Department. Rubio’s additional responsibilities include acting administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and acting archivist of the United States. The decision to move Waltz to the UN role caught some Trump officials off guard, with State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce saying, “Well, there you go ‒ fabulous. It is clear I just heard this from you.” Vice President JD Vance defended the decision, saying, “He has my complete trust and I know the president really likes Mike Waltz, he just thought that the UN ambassador position would be a better place for Mike Waltz to be.” Waltz’s departure marks the first major staff shake-up since Trump returned to the White House in January. The controversy surrounding Waltz began in March when he accidentally invited journalist Jeffrey Goldberg into a Signal chat with top national security officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, where they discussed military plans to strike the Houthi militant movement in Yemen. Despite initially defending Waltz, Trump ultimately decided to make the change, with conservative podcast host Laura Loomer reportedly influencing the decision. Loomer recounted a recent Oval Office visit with Trump, saying she was prepared to show the president footage from his 2016 campaign of Waltz criticizing him for remarks he made about US service members. Waltz, a former member of the Army’s Green Berets, served three terms representing Florida’s sixth congressional district. He retired from the National Guard last fall at the rank of colonel and had previously served as a defense policy director in the Pentagon and counterterrorism adviser in the George W. Bush administration. The position of UN ambassador requires Senate confirmation.