WASHINGTON: 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 US 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.

Mike Waltz tapped to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations

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 said. 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’s announcement in full

President Trump has just announced that Mike Waltz will no longer be his national security adviser and will be nominated to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

Here’s his statement in full: “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!”

“Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2025