MIKE Waltz has said he’s “honored to continue” serving under Donald Trump’s leadership after the president shuffled his cabinet team.
Waltz was moved from national security adviser to ambassador to the United Nations in a power shift announced by Trump on Thursday.
Marco Rubio will shoulder more responsibility in the Trump administration, serving as both secretary of state and interim national security adviser.
On Thursday afternoon, Trump took to Truth Social to share his decision: “I am excited to share that I will be putting forward Mike Waltz as my nominee for the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations.”
“Mike Waltz has consistently prioritized our nation’s interests throughout his service, whether it was on the battlefield, in Congress, or as my National Security Advisor.”
“I know he will do the same in his new role.
“Meanwhile, Marco Rubio will temporarily take on the role of National Security Advisor while maintaining his influential position at the State Department.”
“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Minutes after the announcement, Waltz acknowledged his role change, saying in a brief, one sentence statement on X, “I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.”
CARD SHUFFLE
The move marks the first major shakeup of Trump’s inner circle since he took office in January.
Waltz’s dramatic change comes after the former Republican lawmaker, 51, faced criticism when he was caught up in the March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides.
He is a Trump loyalist who served in the National Guard as a colonel.
The three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida was the first Green Beret elected to the US House.
Before his promotion to national security adviser, he was chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness.
Waltz was also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Trump’s full statement on Waltz’s exit
“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.
“I know he will do the same in his new role. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
TIMELINE
But scandal erupted in March when it emerged that a reporter was mistakenly added to a messaging group in which senior officials discussed attack plans on the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen.
It later transpired that Waltz appeared to have mistakenly added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a chat that included 18 senior administration officials discussing planning for the strike.
However Trump told NBC News that the lapse “turned out not to be a serious one.”
And the president expressed his continued support for Waltz in March.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said.
A confused Waltz said that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up on the chat.
“This one in particular, I’ve never met, don’t know, never communicated with,” Waltz said.
However, he later told Fox News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle, “We made a mistake. We’re moving forward.”
He also said that he took “full responsibility” for the blunder.
Reports emerged early Thursday that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were expected to exit their roles in the White House on Thursday.
Instead, Waltz took up a new role as ambassador to the United Nations.
It’s unclear if Wong, Waltz’s deputy, will continue to serve in his current role or if his status was also impacted by the president’s shakeup.
Fox News reported that Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is a likely contender to replace Waltz.
This assumption is based on Witkoff’s negotiations with Russia amid its bloody invasion of Ukraine, and the fact that the former real estate tycoon is a longtime ally of Trump.
How Trump changed the world in first 100 days
Donald Trump has signed over 140 executive orders in his first 100 days back in office. After making a slew of promises before re-entering the White House, what has he achieved so far?
Education:
Trump signed an executive order to cut federal money to schools that support or are seen to “push critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” onto children.
He has also signed an order to cut funding to schools that have a mandate about vaccines and masks.
The President is also working on closing the federal Education Department and pulling back on DEI policies and programs, directing the federal government to end its diversity and equity programs.
Classified Records:
In March 2025, the White House released the classified documents on the assassination of JFK, something Trump vowed to do in October 2024 “immediately” after re-entering office.
Energy:
In September 2024, Trump vowed to declare a national energy emergency to push for more drilling and boosting “domestic energy supply” which he did when he signed an executive order upon entering the White House.
Another promise he has kept was signing an executive order to remove the US from the Paris Agreement.
Two other orders Trump has signed are working to keep his promises to end state emissions waivers that limit sales of gas-powered cars and to bring an end to the “electric vehicle mandate.”
Foreign Affairs:
The President vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war soon after entering office and has become a key negotiator between the warring nations.
Though he has so far failed to end the bloodshed, his action has moved talks on to finding a ceasefire agreement.
He also criticised the amount of US funding going to Ukraine, quickly ramping up pressure on European allies to take on more of the burden.
As part of his diplomacy and foreign strategy, Trump has already hosted at least 11 world leaders in his first 100 days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being the first leader welcomed to the White House on February 4.
Government:
Trump said he would fire government employees who he says are “corrupt bureaucrats” which is something he has addressed via another executive order.
He also established DOGE to root out blockers to efficiency with Elon Musk brandishing the “chainsaw for bureaucracy.”
DOGE cuts have seen major reductions in the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and attempts to make cuts in the Department of Education.
Cuts of $47.4 billion have been made to the Department of Health and Human Services while over $45 billion has been taken from the Agency for International Development, and $2.6 billion has been cut from the Department of State, according to DOGE.
Immigration:
The President has long been waging a war on immigration and has signed numerous executive orders in a bid to fulfil his plans.
These include carrying out the biggest deportation in US history to “end the migrant invasion,” ending the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, banning refugees from Gaza and removing the student visas of those deemed to be pro-Hamas protesters, “radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners.”
He also signed an order to start “ideological screening” for all immigrants and axed the CBP One app used by migrants to schedule appointments US border patrol agents.
Illegal border crossings from Mexico are now the lowest they have been for over four years but there are fears that some of those being deported under Trump’s action against “killers and thugs” are innocent and are not being given due process.
Pardons:
Trump has pardoned over 1,500 people including the majority of those convicted or charged in the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021.
He has also pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of a dark web marketplace known as Silk Road and Charles Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s father-in-law who was in prison for tax evasion, witness tampering, and campaign finance offences.
Tariffs:
In November, Trump said he would “tariff the hell out of countries that have been taking advantage” of the US, something he is continuing to work on after his “Liberation Day” announcement of a “reciprocal tariff” strategy with tariffs up to 145%, most harshly impacting China.
Taxes:
Through congressional action, the President has started cutting corporate tax rates to 15%, make tax cuts permanent, have no tax on tips, scrap taxes on Social Security and overtime pay, and making interest on car loans entirely tax deductible.
