The National Security Advisor of the United States, Mike Waltz, and his deputy, Alex Wong, are leaving the White House after just three months in office. It is the first high-level departure in the Administration, following a purge last week that also saw the Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Defense and two other top Pentagon officials lose their jobs. The White House has not officially announced it but has informally communicated it to all media outlets. Trump has confirmed it.
Today, the US President announced that he is appointing Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the interim National Security Advisor, and Waltz as the ambassador to the UN. This is a way to mask the decision, as even though it is comparatively a lower-ranking position, completely removed from decision-making, it is symbolically part of the cabinet. Therefore, the White House can present it as a reshuffle rather than a dismissal or demotion.
"From his experience on the battlefield, in Congress, and as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to prioritize the interests of our nation. I know he will do the same in his new role (...) Together, we will continue to tirelessly fight to make America and the world SAFE again," the president wrote on his social media.
In his first term, abrupt resignations and swift dismissals were a constant in Trump's team. In fact, his first National Security Advisor, Mike Flynn, lasted just over 20 days, after it was revealed that he had lied about his ties to Russia. His Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, lasted barely 10 days. This time, Trump had surrounded himself with loyalists, individuals of utmost trust personally selected by him and his circle, not by the Republican Party, as was the case eight years ago. He hoped to avoid the same sequence, but it was not possible.
Many see this move as a desperate attempt to save the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. The most controversial member of the government, who had the most difficulty in Senate confirmation due to his scandals and issues with alcohol and sexual assault records. It has been revealed that Hegseth, in charge of purging the military, has messaging groups where confidential information is shared, or where he invites his wife to meetings she should not attend. However, he is one of the most influential officials, and the president does not want to concede a defeat. Therefore, he prefers to sacrifice another pawn.
Waltz, who was key in negotiations with Ukraine or Iran, has been the subject of many news reports in recent weeks and has often been criticized by anonymous sources in the White House, who believe he is an amateur. The most notable was his mistake of inadvertently inviting the editor of The Atlantic to a group on the Signal communication app, a chat where secret information about a military strike against Houthi targets in Yemen was shared. The journalist published his account, and although Trump and his spokespersons downplayed it, and the government denied that the details of weaponry and the timing of the attack were sensitive information, Waltz received a reprimand. "He is a good man... he has learned a lesson", the president said publicly.
His position has been in limbo since then. Trump and senior officials, especially White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, "were frustrated with Waltz even before the Signal disaster. Waltz hired advisors who, according to his critics, did not convince Trump's support base, the MAGA campaign, and had difficulty conveying the president's national security priorities on television, which were considered the strength of the former Florida congressman," according to The Wall Street Journal. "Furthermore, he occasionally distanced himself ideologically from Trump, "advocating traditionally more aggressive stances on Ukraine and Iran." The New York Times also points out that privately he has continued to advocate for severe sanctions against Russia if a ceasefire with Ukraine is not achieved. Just this Monday, for example, in a meeting with the president and senior members of his national security team.
Earlier this week, according to CNN, he was informed that he was going to be dismissed, but he tried to cling to his position. He appeared on Fox News, which the president watches all the time. Just yesterday, at the Cabinet meeting, which Trump has turned into a televised spectacle where all government members compete to see who can praise the leader best on camera, he stated that "over the past four years, the US has shown a total lack of leadership with Biden. In these 100 days with you, we have had respect and strength," he said in his final speech.
On Tuesday, he boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, with Trump, but when the rest of his colleagues boarded Air Force One, the plane, he remained on the ground, which was unusual. This Thursday, he showed up at the West Wing of the White House, but around 11 a.m. local time, all political correspondents began to spread the news.
According to his critics, Waltz had been sidelined since Signalgate in discussions on key decisions, such as initiating talks with Iran on its nuclear program and negotiating a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to both negotiations, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have taken over that space. Witkoff, the negotiator for Russia or peace in Palestine, is one of the most likely candidates to replace Waltz.
CBS, which broke the news this Thursday, points out that Alex Wong is also leaving his position, who in the first Trump Administration was the Deputy Special Representative for North Korea and Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department. Upon announcing his appointment, Trump praised Wong for helping negotiate his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"National Security Advisor Mike Waltz along with his Chinese deputy advisor, Alex Wong, 'resigned' from the Trump administration today. Hopefully, the rest of the people who were supposed to be fired but received promotions in the NSC under Waltz's command will also leave," celebrated the MAGA movement influencer (Make America Great Again) Laura Loomer, an activist and spreader of all kinds of conspiracies who is a friend of the president and has unexpected access and influence. Just a few weeks ago, she went to the Oval Office with a blacklist of high officials precisely in National Security positions, and after hearing her, Trump fired them within hours.
Waltz, a former Green Beret, was one of Trump's main supporters during his time in Congress and the 2024 campaign. Trump had a total of four National Security Advisors during his first term. Whoever succeeds Waltz will be Trump's sixth person in that position in two presidencies, an unprecedented situation for such a responsible position and at a very delicate geopolitical moment.
The dismissal also confirms that his bet on active Republican congressmen has been a disaster. The first was the controversial Matt Gaetz, a figure so divisive and full of scandals (drugs, sex with minors, corruption) that the Senate, which has a conservative majority, refused to even consider him. Another fiasco was the choice of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the UN. She resigned from her leadership positions in the lower chamber, but at the last minute, Trump backed down out of fear of losing the majority in the House. She was left without a command and without the embassy, which now goes to Waltz.