LOS ANGELES.–Asking 53-year-old former Congressman Mike Waltz to step down as National Security Advisor, 78-uyear-old President Donald Trump said 53-year-old Secretary of State Marco Rubio would replace him until a suitable replacement can be named. Meanwhile, Trump asked Waltz to stay on and serve as his U.N. ambassador since his original pick Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is needed in the closely divided House. Democrats and the fake news said Waltz was fired for accidentally tying in 59-year-old Atlantic Editor Jeffrey Goldberg into a highly classified Signal chat sharing Top Secrete plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen. But the more you look at what happened, the more Trump simply used the Signalgate incident as a convenient excuse to shuffle his Cabinet, giving Waltz a more suitable job as U.N. ambassador. Trump might look to envoy Steve Witkoff for National Security Advisor.
Trump said today that Waltz would move over from National Security Advisor to U.N. Ambassador. “I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations. From his time uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. Since the Signalgate brouhaha hit the headlines March 24, Democrats have been calling for Waltz’s head, not to mention Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Switching Waltz over to U.N. Ambassador gives Trump the perfect out to keep Stefanik in a key position for House leadership before the 2026 Midterm election.
Stefanik was the Chairwoman of the House Leadership Conference [2021 to 2025], before nominated by Trump to be his U.N. ambassador. Now that Stefanik stays in the House, she’ll no doubt return to her leadership position. Stefanik is the kind of strong advocate for Trump ne needs in the House, not wanting to see her go anywhere else. “As I know, Secretary Rubio, this is a man who has worn several hats since Day One,” said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Bruce called it an “exciting moment,” saying Trump knows how to fill the right position. “Someone who is well known by the president. The president makes perfect assessments of who would implement his agenda, and in this case he’s chosen the secretary and Mr. Waltz to facilitate his agenda moving forward. Not entirely surprising,” said Bruce. Trump could appoint anyone to replace Waltz but wants to take his time to get it right with so much at stake.
National Security Advisor is right behind secretary of state in terms of importance on Trump’s national security team. He wants to appoint someone with impeccable credentials before he makes his decision. Meanwhile, Rubio has all the experience and credentials to advise Trump on national security matters. When you think about how former President Joe Biden damaged U.S. foreign policy and national security with the Ukraine War, Trump has been in damage control mode trying to mend fences with the Kremlin. Biden turned decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control with the Kremlin into a mortal enemy of the United States. Trump has been working feverishly against Congressional war hawks wanting to keep Biden’s proxy war with the Kremlin going indefinitely. Only recently has Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky looked like he’s coming around.
Trump battles war hawks in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to get a peace deal with 72-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky has tried to get the European Union to take over funding of Biden’s proxy war with the Kremlin. Only recently has the EU realized while they have sympathy for Zelensky, they’re not going to fund proxy war against the Kremlin. How ironic that the EU refuses to fund Ukraine’s war with the Kremlin, while slamming Trump for making peace with Putin. Trump’s decision to restore normal diplomatic relations with Putin threw Zelensky into a frenzy Feb. 28 when he met Trump and 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance to sign a rare earth mineral deal. Trump has proceeded without hesitation to end the Ukraine war at the earliest possible time, against Democrats and the U.S. press seeking perpetual war with Russia.
Moving Waltz to the U.N. is the perfect place, showing that Trump takes national security secrets seriously, finally ending the Signalgate snafu. Democrats won’t go too lightly in any Senate confirmation hearing on Waltz, since his mistake with SignalGate but know that he’s not dealing with military secrets at the U.N. Whatever happened with Waltz and his Signal app, it’s a one-off mistake that gives Trump a chance to show Democrats he holds his staff accountable. Unlike his first term where he’s needed to shuffle far more Cabinet positions, Trump’s picks have been fairly stable, though not liked by Democrats or the press. Trump faces a relentless press pushing the Democrats dictator or, more recently, king narrative about how Trump leads country. So, no matter what Trump does to fix serious problems in the economy and foreign policy he won’t get any credit.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
