Trump later announces he will nominate Waltz to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
1 of 2 | President Donald Trump is expected to fire National Security adviser Mike Waltz (pictured at the White House in late April), who is blamed for including a journalist in a Signal app discussion of a military action in Yemen. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo
Reports say President Donald Trump will fire National Security adviser Mike Waltz, who is blamed for including a journalist in a Signal app discussion of a military action in Yemen.
Waltz could become the first senior-level adviser to be let go by the Trump administration, unnamed sources told Politico, the New York Times and ABC News.
Hours after the reports surfaced, Trump announced his plans to nominate Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Trump also said he will name Secretary of State Marco Rubio to replace Waltz on an interim basis.
Waltz’s potential departure is not certain, but possible replacements have been discussed for weeks within the White House, ABC News reported.
Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong also might leave his position, the news outlets reported.
Some have suggested special envoy Steve Witkoff might step into the role if it becomes vacant.
Witkoff is representing the United States in negotiations with Russia, Iran and Hamas to try to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Other potential replacements include Stephen Miller, who is Trump’s primary policy adviser; Richard Grenell, who is the president’s special envoy for special missions; and Sebastian Gorka, who is the National Security Council’s senior director for counterterrorism, Politico reported.
Waltz is a military veteran, a former member of Congress from Florida from 2019 until 2025, and a former member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Waltz accidentally included The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg in a secure Signal app chat discussing pending aerial strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15.
Goldberg afterward reported he had been included in the chat due to a mistake made by a Waltz staffer, who intended to include someone else in the chat and not Goldberg.
If Waltz is fired, it won’t happen until Trump announces it, which will happen soon, media outlets reported.
The military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen have continued since March 15.
Trump says they won’t end until the Houthis stop attacking commercial shipping and U.S. military assets in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and in the air.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for the latest updates.
