The president named Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his acting national security advisor.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he was naming White House national security advisor Mike Waltz to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, coming after reports indicating that Waltz would be leaving his advisory position.
In a Truth Social post on Thursday afternoon, Trump wrote that Waltz “has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first.”
“I know he will do the same in his new role,” he wrote.
“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.”
In response, Waltz wrote on X that he is “deeply honored“ to continue his ”service to President Trump and our great nation.”
Rubio’s having both the roles of national security adviser and secretary of state is not unprecedented. In the 1970s, under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger served as both secretary of state and national security adviser.
“This is a man who has worn several hats since day one,“ State Department press secretary Tammy Bruce told reporters on May 1, referring to Rubio. ”The president makes perfect assessments on who will implement his agenda.”
The May 1 announcement from Trump essentially ended speculation on Waltz’s future in the administration after several media outlets, citing anonymous sources, stated that he would be departing.
It comes just weeks after Waltz confirmed that he accidentally invited an Atlantic editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, into a Signal chat with other officials that included discussions on Yemen airstrikes.
Waltz apologized for the incident in a March interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and said he doesn’t know Goldberg, who had included details about the Signal chat in an article.
Other Trump administration officials who were in the chat included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Hegseth has said on multiple occasions that no “war plans” were shared in the chat, disputing claims that were made in Goldberg’s article.
