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US President Donald Trump has ousted his national security adviser Mike Waltz and named secretary of state Marco Rubio as his interim replacement in the first major shake-up of Trump’s inner circle since he took office in January.
Trump, in a social media post, said he would be nominating Waltz to be the next United States ambassador to the United Nations, adding that “he has worked hard to put our nation’s interests first”.
Earlier in the day, sources said Trump had decided to force Waltz out of his White House position.
Trump’s selection of Rubio to replace Waltz temporarily will be the first time since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s that one person held both the positions of secretary of state and national security adviser.
Waltz’s deputy Alex Wong, an Asia expert who was a State Department official focused on North Korea during Trump’s first term, is also leaving his post, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Fallout from Signal chat scandal continues
Waltz, a 51-year-old former Republican lawmaker from Florida, faced criticism inside the White House when he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides.
The national security adviser is a powerful role that does not require Senate confirmation.
The national security council is the main body used by presidents to coordinate security strategy, and its staff often make key decisions regarding the United States’ approach to the world’s most volatile conflicts.
Waltz was blamed for accidentally adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread describing details of an imminent US bombing campaign in Yemen.
The Atlantic reported on the mishap.
At a subsequent cabinet meeting with Waltz in the room, Trump expressed his preference for holding such conversations in a secure setting, a clear sign of his displeasure.
But he and others in the White House expressed confidence in Waltz at the time.
Waltz also attended Trump’s televised cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Democrats who were outraged about the Signal scandal welcomed the news about Waltz.
“About time,” said Democratic senator Adam Schiff.
Waltz too hawkish for Trump, says source
The Signal controversy was not the only mark against Waltz, sources said.
A person familiar with the cabinet’s internal dynamics said Waltz was too hawkish for the war-averse Trump and was seen as not effectively coordinating foreign policy among a variety of agencies, a key role for the national security adviser.
“The system isn’t running properly” under Waltz, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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