United States President Donald Trump has removed Mike Waltz from his position as national security adviser, replacing him temporarily with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while nominating Waltz to serve as the next US ambassador to the United Nations.
The move marks the first high-profile departure from the White House in Trump’s second term and comes amid a controversy involving the accidental inclusion of a journalist in a private Signal chat discussing sensitive military operations.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, the president thanked Waltz for his service. “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,” Trump wrote. “I know he will do the same in his new role.”
The announcement comes just weeks after Waltz admitted to mistakenly adding The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a Signal chat that included discussions on potential military strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Participants in the chat reportedly included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong.
Multiple sources familiar with internal White House deliberations told US media outlets that the decision to remove Waltz stemmed from the incident, as well as broader concerns over his handling of National Security Council staffing. Despite these concerns, Trump is believed to still hold Waltz in high regard, offering him what observers have described as a “soft landing” through the prestigious UN post.
However, some officials who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity expressed doubt over Waltz’s ability to be confirmed by the Senate. They suggested that nominating him to a post requiring congressional approval was a strategic way to sideline him without a direct dismissal.
Waltz, a former Florida congressman and US Army veteran, issued a brief statement on social media, saying, “I’m deeply honoured to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.”
The episode has reignited concerns over the handling of classified information within Trump’s national security team. At a congressional hearing in March, lawmakers questioned several officials reportedly involved in the Signal conversation, including the CIA director and the director of national intelligence. The fate of Alex Wong remains uncertain following the shake-up.
