United States President Donald Trump has removed Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, tapping Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his interim replacement.
This is the first major shakeup in Trump's administration and inner circle during this term.
The president made the announcement via a post on Truth Social, confirming that he would put Waltz forward to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and that Rubio would step up for double duty until a new permanent security adviser was appointed.
Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, a State Department official who worked closely with North Korea during Trump’s first term, is also leaving his post.
“Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump wrote.
The shake-up follows the Signal messaging scandal at the end of March, which saw Mike Waltz reportedly responsible for adding a journalist to a private group chat discussing national security matters and war plans.
Rubio will now be the first person since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s to hold both secretary of state and national security adviser.
