Waltz has been under scrutiny for weeks after reporting from The Atlantic that he had mistakenly added the magazine’s editor-in-chief to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans
President Donald Trump said that he is nominating national security adviser Mike Waltz as United Nations ambassador while Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Waltz’s duties on an interim role.
He announced the major shake-up of his national security team shortly after news broke that Waltz and his deputy are leaving the administration. Waltz has been under scrutiny for weeks after reporting from The Atlantic that he had mistakenly added the magazine’s editor-in-chief to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
“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,” Trump wrote on social media.
“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.”
There is precedent for the secretary of state to serve simultaneously as national security adviser. Henry Kissinger held both positions from 1973 to 1975. Waltz came under searing criticism in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an encrypted messaging app that was used to discuss planning for a sensitive military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen. Vice President JD Vance pushed back on characterisations that Waltz was ousted.
“The media wants to frame this as a firing. Donald Trump has fired a lot of people,” Vance said in an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News Channel. “He doesn’t give them Senate-confirmed appointments afterwards.”
Trump’s decision to move Waltz to the U.N. comes weeks after he pulled his pick for the job, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, from consideration over fears about Republicans’ tight voting margins in the U.S. House. “I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz said Thursday.
His shift from national security adviser to U.N. ambassador nominee means he will now have to face a Senate confirmation hearing. The process, which proved to be difficult for a number of Trump’s Cabinet picks, will give lawmakers, especially Democrats, the first chance to grill Waltz on his decision to share information about an imminent U.S. airstrike on Signal.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House adviser Stephen Miller listen as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House adviser Stephen Miller listen as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, signaled that Waltz will face difficult questions. “I look forward to a thorough confirmation hearing,” Coons said on social media.
Witkoff, a fellow New York City real estate maverick who has known Trump for years, has played a key role in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict and has been the administration’s chief interlocutor in the Iran nuclear talks launched last month.
Witkoff has expressed no interest in taking the job, which requires hands-on management of numerous agencies, but could, if asked by Trump, assume temporary control of the NSC, according to one U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Witkoff would prefer to stay in his current special envoy role, which is relatively independent and not tied to any particular bureaucracy.
Grenell, in addition to being Trump’s envoy for special missions, is serving as the interim president at the Kennedy Center. He served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first administration, was special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and did a stint as acting director of national intelligence. He’s also weighing running in next year’s California governor’s race.
Waltz had previously taken “full responsibility” for building the Signal message chain and administration officials described the episode as a “mistake” but one that caused Americans no harm. Waltz maintained that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up in the messaging chain, and insisted he did not know the journalist.
