President Donald Trump has announced that he’s nominating Mike Waltz to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.). The news came hours after Waltz was fired as national security adviser, along with his top deputy Alex Wong.
“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,” President Trump wrote in his statement on Truth Social.
The president also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as national security adviser in the interim while continuing to lead the State Department.
“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN,” Trump wrote.
Waltz left the House of Representatives in January to serve as President Trump’s national security adviser. His future in the position had been in question since late March when he accidentally added a reporter to a group chat regarding military air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. It’s a scandal that has come to be called “Signalgate”.
The chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal included the vice president, secretary of defense and other top administration officials. The reporter, Jeffrey Goldberg, is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. Goldberg wrote an initial article titled: “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.”
The Trump administration denied that war plans were included and attacked Goldberg’s credibility. Days later, Goldberg published another report with screenshots of the texts that proved Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the exact time of launch, aircraft, missile type and other operational details of the attack.
Democrats have been calling for both Waltz and Hegseth to be fired ever since. They contend the senior leaders were reckless with classified information and put American servicemembers in combat at risk.
President Trump has needed a new U.N. ambassador ever since Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., withdrew as nominee because House Republicans couldn’t afford to lose her with their slim majority.
Waltz will have to be confirmed by the Senate to serve as ambassador. Based on their previous statements, Democrats are likely to attack him for Signalgate and call into question his ability to perform the duties of a senior administration official. But as long as all Republicans support him, Waltz will be confirmed.
