US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz will exit his post, CBS News first reported, and will be nominated as ambassador to the United Nations. The move brings a premature end to the Floridian’s tumultuous White House stint, one that has been marred ever since he accidentally added a journalist from The Atlantic to a Signal chat discussion about US attack plans in Yemen. President Donald Trump confirmed the reshuffle on social media.
It began before Signal-gate. Waltz reportedly didn’t gel with Trump or his most senior advisers from the off. He clashed with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and his history – he advocated against Trump’s rise in 2016 – left him vulnerable to attacks from the right.
Dems on offense. Rep. Derek Tran (D-CA), who holds a swing seat covering parts of Los Angeles and Orange County, called Waltz “one of the rotten apples in the barrel.” But he didn’t stop there, calling for the ousting of Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth too.
“It’s not enough that it’s just Waltz, it has to be Hegseth as well,” he told GZERO. Hegseth was the one who shared the war plans on the Signal chat that Waltz created but has thus far escaped punishment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have been calling for Hegseth’s head for over a month.
From one Florida man to another. In his stead, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve in Waltz’s role on an interim basis, adding yet another role to his portfolio. The former Florida senator entered the administration as the secretary of state, before subsuming USAID into his command in February as well as Waltz’s role now.
Whether he lasts in this trio of roles for long is another matter — the Miami native has long had presidential ambitions, which he could pursue in 2028.
Not the launchpad it used to be. Six of the first 15 US presidents had served as secretary of state before becoming commander-in-chief, but none since. Mike Pompeo, who held the position for the last two years of Trump’s first term, flirted with a run but ultimately declined when his polling mirrored that of the fictional Connor Roy in “Succession.” Rubio’s path to the presidency thus remains a challenging one.
