The first loss on Trump's team – Michael Waltz

President Donald Trump said he will nominate Michael Waltz, his current national security adviser, to be the next US ambassador to the UN, sidelining a top aide who drew a wave of criticism for inadvertently adding a journalist to a Signal group chat where officials discussed sensitive attack plans, Bloomberg reports.

Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security adviser while keeping his job as secretary of state, Trump said in a post. Trump said Waltz “has worked hard to put our Nation’s interests first.”

“I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz said in a post.

Waltz came under fire in March after he acknowledged inadvertently adding Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat group set up to discuss pending attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump had offered tepid support for Waltz in a recent interview, signaling his patience over the episode may have run out.

The move marks a consolidation of power for Rubio, the onetime Florida Senator who has transformed from Trump foil in the 2016 presidential campaign to one his most vocal and ardent supporters in the Cabinet. He took control of the US Agency for International Development after it was targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He’s also acting head of the National Archives.

Like Waltz, Rubio had previously voiced hawkish views on Russia, China and Iran, but has sanded down those beliefs — at least publicly — in line with Trump’s son Donald Jr., Vice President JD Vance and the MAGA base.

It’s a major downgrade for Waltz, who will, if confirmed, move to New York and lose his constant access to the Oval Office.

But one person familiar with the matter, who also asked not to be identified discussing private discussions, said Trump had soured on Waltz after the Signal chat imbroglio. The president believed Waltz erred when he asked Elon Musk to look into how Goldberg got added to his phone, according to the person.

Waltz should have just admitted he made a mistake and not suggested there was something more nefarious at play, the person said.

Waltz joined the Trump administration after serving six years in Congress. He’s a former Army Green Beret who served multiple tours in Afghanistan. As national security adviser he was responsible for coordinating foreign policy within the West Wing and briefing the president on global crises.

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