President Trump is tapping national security adviser Mike Waltz to be his ambassador to the United Nations following reports of his ouster in the midst of a controversy over a group text chat.
Trump also announced Thursday he naming his Secretary of State Marco Rubio to replace Waltz as national security adviser on an interim basis.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations. From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump added, “In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Waltz leaving his post at the National Security Council and moving to the ambassador role, which will require Senate confirmation, marks the first major shifting of positions in Trump’s second administration.
The spot for ambassador to the United Nations is open after Trump yanked Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) nomination’s last month, a decision that he said was so the congresswoman could “rejoin the House Leadership Team.”
Meanwhile, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called it an “exciting moment” for the department that Rubio’s role will be expanded, adding it was not entirely surprising.
“As I know Secretary Rubio, this is a man who has worn several hats since day one,” she said. “Someone who is well known by the president. The president makes perfect assessments of who would implement his agenda, and in this case he’s chosen the secretary and Mr. Waltz to facilitate his agenda moving forward. Not entirely surprising.”
Waltz’s shift in positioning comes as he had been at the center of a controversy involving a group chat on the Signal app in which national security and defense officials were sharing key details of a military strike in Yemen. Waltz is said to be the person who inadvertently invited Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, to the chat.
Goldberg revealed in a March 24 report that he was added to the message chain, which the National Security Council confirmed was authentic. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined in Signal the strikes on Houthi rebels — details the White House and Hegseth insist were not classified.
Questioned swirled at the time about if Waltz, or Hegseth, would be fired over the situation but Trump defended Waltz, a former congress member from Florida, saying he has confidence in his top adviser.
Additionally, earlier this month, six officials from the National Security Council were fired after Laura Loomer, a political activist linked to far-right conspiracies, met with Trump and reportedly brought a list of national security officials who couldn’t be trusted.
Those fired from the council included Brian Walsh, senior director of intelligence; Thomas Boodry, senior director of legislative affairs who was also an aide to Waltz when he was in the House; and David Feith, senior director of technology and national security, among others.
Trump downplayed Loomer having anything to do with the firings, saying she “makes recommendations on things and people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations.”
State Sen. Randy Fine (R) won the special election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District earlier this month to replace Waltz in Congress. Fine’s win came as a relief for Republicans, who grew increasingly worried about the race as Democrat Josh Weil overperformed Fine in fundraising and some polling.
Laura Kelly contributed reporting.
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