President Donald Trump is nominating Michael Waltz to be America's ambassador to the United Nations, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take on Waltz's current role of national security adviser, at least for the near term.
"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 wrote on Truth Social.
"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!" Trump added.
Rubio is now the first secretary of State since Henry Kissinger to work simultaneously as national security adviser, although Rubio will hold the second job temporarily.
The stunning shakeup comes weeks after Waltz came under scrutiny for adding the editor of an anti-Trump magazine, The Atlantic, to a sensitive group chat about military strikes in Yemen.
The breach blindsided the White House and caused Waltz to lose favor there, but he appeared to hang on to his job initially as Trump defended him.
“I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz wrote in response to Trump decision to nominate him for the U.N. role.
Waltz is likely to face more questions about "Signalgate" from the Senate, which must vote to confirm him in his new role. Trump pulled his initial nominee for U.N. ambassador, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY). over concerns about the GOP's narrow House majority.
Waltz's exit is the first major personnel shakeup of the second Trump administration, and it comes just after the end of the president's historic first 100 days back in power.
Compared to his often chaotic first term, Trump's comeback has been marked by remarkable speed and discipline. Trump's opponents have been left scrambling as he transforms domestic and world politics at a furious pace.
The self-inflicted wound of "Signalgate" frustrated Trump and his top aides after the early momentum of his first weeks back in power, but Trump was said to be reluctant to fire Walz and give the left a perceived victory.
While Waltz is no longer at the White House, he could suffer a far worse fate than getting a prestigious diplomatic post in New York.
To some, Waltz's reassignment is a "soft landing" and a way for Trump to signal that he is in charge, and not the media hounds who demanded Waltz be fired outright. The new arrangements will keep White House insiders on their toes, too.
“It wasn’t anyone’s choice but his because no one asked for this combo of things,” one source told the New York Post. “Today Trump won. Everyone (staff, Israel, Iran, [Secretary of Defense Pete] Hegseth) is left wondering where they sit with him.”
