Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida has a tough stance on communist China, having been vocal on Beijing’s espionage and human rights abuses.
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a vocal critic of communist China, to serve as his national security adviser, Reuters said on Monday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Waltz, who won reelection last week for his fourth term representing the Sixth Congressional District in east-central Florida, was the first Green Beret elected to Congress. He has been chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
He is also a member of the House China Task Force. In 2021, he released a video on social media platform X saying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the “biggest threat America has ever faced.”
The national security adviser is appointed by the U.S. president and does not require Senate confirmation. Waltz will take on the critical role of briefing Trump on national security matters and coordinating with various agencies.
Before becoming a Florida congressman, Waltz served as a military adviser in the Bush administration and worked under defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates as a defense policy director.
Trump’s appointment has earned praise from several Republicans in Congress, including Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, took to X late on Monday saying that he was thrilled by Trump’s pick.
“There is no one more capable or qualified for this crucial role,” Rogers wrote. “As a Green Beret, Rep. Waltz bravely fought to defend our nation. As a leader on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Waltz has continued to work around the clock to bolster U.S. national security.
“Our national security is in good hands with Rep. Waltz at the helm.”
‘China Initiative’
During his first term in office, Trump broke with his predecessors to confront the CCP head-on, pushing back against its malign and hostile behaviors. One key program during that time was the “China Initiative,” which was launched by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in late 2018 and led to a significant increase in prosecutions against China’s state-sanctioned theft of trade secrets.
By Frank Fang
