US President Donald Trump ousted his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, on Thursday and named Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his interim replacement in the first major shakeup 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 U.S. 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 temporarily replace Waltz will mark the first time since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s that one person has 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.
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.
Trump cycled through four national security advisers during his first presidency.
A White House official did not confirm the reports, saying they “do not want to get ahead of any announcement.”
Waltz showed no sign that he knew of his imminent departure when appearing early Wednesday on Fox News, where he hailed the new US minerals deal with Ukraine.
“Nobody said (it) could be done. President Trump said ‘get it done’,” he said.
Saying Trump has boosted US military recruitment, he added: “This is leadership at its finest, led by our commander in chief, who loves the troops and they love him.”
Waltz was also present at Trump’s televised cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
A former special forces officer, Waltz was seen as a moderate voice in the Trump administration when he was appointed, but reportedly clashed with other officials over his hawkish stance against Russia and Iran.
Trump has pushed for Ukraine to reach a quick ceasefire deal with Russia, while reopening negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
Steve Witkoff, a real estate magnate whom Trump has picked to lead US talks with both Russia and Iran, is in contention to replace Waltz, US media reported.
Waltz had been under pressure since late March, when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Magazine revealed he had been mistakenly added to a chat on the commercial messaging app Signal about military attacks on Yemen’s Huthi rebels.
Officials on the chat laid out the attack plan, including the timings that US warplanes would take off to bomb targets, with the first texts barely half an hour before they launched.
Despite intense media speculation that Trump would fire Waltz over the scandal, the president repeatedly offered his backing, and the national security adviser appeared to have ridden out the storm.
However, Waltz was among several White House staff targeted by a right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist who met with Trump, urging a purge.
Laura Loomer, who is known for claiming that the September 11, 2001 attacks were an inside job, is reported to have successfully pushed for the dismissal of several senior US security officials she deemed disloyal to the president.
After news of Waltz and Wong’s ouster was reported Thursday, Loomer posted on X: “SCALP.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also faced pressure over the scandal.
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”, Hegseth wrote in one text, referring to F/A-18 US Navy jets, before adding that “Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME.”
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets).”
A short time later, Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target “walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”
Reacting to Waltz’s reported dismissal on Thursday, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted on X: “Now do Hegseth.”
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