President Trump announced Thursday that Mike Waltz, his current White House national security adviser, will be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. This announcement came amid early misreporting by some media outlets that Mr. Waltz had been fired from his position.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security adviser while maintaining his role as America’s top diplomat. Mr. Waltz expressed his gratitude on social media, stating he was “deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.”
The nomination follows last month’s incident dubbed “Signalgate,” where Mr. Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, to a Signal group chat discussing plans for U.S. military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Despite Mr. Waltz taking “full responsibility” for the error, President Trump stood by him rather than requesting his resignation.
The group chat included several high-ranking officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Though the administration maintained that no classified information was shared, Mr. Goldberg published some messages, including timing details of the planned strikes.
Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, had called for consequences following the incident, with many suggesting that Mr. Hegseth should have been held accountable instead of Mr. Waltz. However, most Democrats fell silent after Mr. Trump’s ambassador nomination announcement.
The U.N. position became available after Rep. Elise Stefanik withdrew her nomination to help preserve the slim Republican majority in the House. Mr. Waltz, who previously served three terms representing Florida’s 6th Congressional District before joining the White House, will now face Senate confirmation hearings where the Signal incident will likely be scrutinized.
Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee that will conduct Mr. Waltz’s confirmation hearing, welcomed the nomination. Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher Coons, a Connecticut Democrat, signaled he anticipates a “thorough confirmation hearing,” sharing an image of Mr. Waltz’s phone displaying the Signal app during a Cabinet meeting.
Read more: Trump nominates Waltz for U.N. ambassador, moving him out of national security post
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