Did Mike Waltz get kicked upstairs? Trump's reshuffle leaves Rubio with Kissinger role

Waltz also reportedly clashed with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

PUBLISHED MAY 2, 2025

Conservative commentators, including Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, also amplified whispers that Waltz was on his way out.

Washington D.C.: In a dramatic reshuffle of his national security leadership, President Donald Trump has removed Mike Waltz as his national security adviser. Waltz will instead be nominated as US ambassador to the United Nations, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio steps in as interim national security adviser. Waltz's deputy, Alex Wong, will also leave his position.

In March, Waltz inadvertently added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a sensitive Signal group discussing US missile strikes in Yemen before they occurred. Though an internal review determined the error was unintentional, the incident damaged his credibility among the press and his critics.

Waltz also reportedly clashed with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and faced criticism from other officials who viewed him as overly hawkish. Wong, meanwhile, frustrated interagency partners with his assertive style, and some West Wing aides complained Waltz failed to rein him in.

External forces also contributed to Waltz’s downfall. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a staunch Trump ally, publicly accused Wong of harboring sympathies for China and criticized Waltz for allegedly allowing anti-Trump figures into the National Security Council (NSC). Last month, Loomer visited the White House at Trump’s invitation and successfully lobbied for the removal of several Waltz staffers.

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Conservative commentators, including Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, also amplified whispers that Waltz was on his way out. By late April, White House officials widely believed his days were numbered.

Trump announced Waltz’s replacement in a Truth Social post, tapping Rubio to serve as both secretary of state and acting national security adviser — a dual role not seen since Henry Kissinger held both posts in the 1970s.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer welcomed Waltz’s firing but argued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should have been dismissed instead.

Waltz’s nomination to the UN will require Senate confirmation, where he may face scrutiny over his NSC record.