President Donald Trump left Mike Waltz stranded on the tarmac after Air Force One headed for Michigan on Tuesday, just two days before he was fired as national security adviser.
Waltz had just accompanied Trump and other members of the president’s team on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, on a 10-minute ride to Joint Base Andrews.
His abandonment, which White House sources said was “odd,” captured on camera by CNN.
In the footage, Waltz can be seen heading toward a set of stairs leading up to the plane, briefcase in hand, before veering off to speak with another aide, who points him in a different direction.
He then stood by, watching, as other Trump officials ascended the boarding stairs.
The White House told the network that the plan had never been for Waltz to head to Michigan.
Waltz’s ouster was announced on Thursday—and it appeared to catch him by total surprise. He gave a cheery interview on Fox News just moments before the news broke.
“This is leadership at its finest led by our commander-in-chief who loves the troops and they love him,” he said of Trump, who was soon to kick him from the White House.
Waltz has been replaced on an acting basis by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Special envoy Steve Witkoff, a golfing buddy of the president’s who has worked on negotiations with Iran and Russia, is reportedly one of the leading contenders to assume the role long-term.
Trump announced that he was nominating Waltz, who had been re-elected to the House before signing onto the administration, as an ambassador to the United Nations.
Waltz had been on shaky footing at the White House since his involvement in the Signal leak scandal, which saw him accidentally add a prominent journalist to a chat where operational war plans were discussed.
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