US national security adviser Mike Waltz to leave role in first major change to Trump's team
Mr Waltz's departure is the first major change in Donald Trump's top team and comes shortly after he marked 100 days in office.
Thursday 1 May 2025 20:48, UK
US national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving his post and is set to be replaced by secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was naming Mr Rubio as acting national security adviser and had nominated Mr Waltz to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations.
Mr Rubio will continue to serve as secretary of state, Mr Trump said.
Confirming the moves in a post on Truth Social, the president praised Mr Waltz, who, he said, had "worked hard" to advance US interests.
"In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to make America, and the world, safe again," Mr Trump said.
Mr Waltz said he was "deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation".
Mr Waltz faced scrutiny for creating a chat on messaging app Signal in which defence secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials Iran-backed Houthis.
It came to light after Mr Waltz accidentally added a US journalist to the group.
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Signal is regarded as highly secure and has end-to-end encryption, but is a commercial app and is not classified by US officials.
A transcript showed Mr Hegseth provided timings of aircraft launches and when bombs would drop.
Mr Waltz said he took "full responsibility" but insisted he didn't know how Jeffrey Goldberg ended up on the chat and maintained he didn't know the journalist.
The White House said no classified information was shared and publicly stood by Mr Waltz.
However, Reuters and AP news agencies cited anonymous sources on Thursday and said he would now leave after less than five months in the job.
His deputy, Alex Wong, is also said to be going.
Mr Waltz is a highly decorated special forces veteran and the first Green Beret to serve in Congress.
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The 51-year-old was also Donald Trump's fifth permanent national security adviser, after he went through four during his first term.
His departure is the first major change in the president's top team this time round - and comes shortly after he marked 100 days in office.
It's so far unclear who will take over.
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The 'Signalgate' episode, which came to light in March, was reportedly not the only breach of security protocol involving senior officials.
Mr Hegseth is said to have had his wife, brother and lawyer on another group chat about the Yemen strikes.
Mr Trump has publicly backed Mr Hegseth, saying today said he was doing a "fantastic job", but some experts believe his position is also at risk.