Vice President JD Vance has presented his viewpoint on why Mike Waltz was not dismissed from his position as National Security Advisor.
Waltz, formerly a congressman from Florida’s sixth congressional district, was among Donald Trump’s initial appointments after the 2024 election victory.
However, shortly after Trump’s first 100 days in office, it was announced that Waltz would be transitioning to a new role.
On May 1, Trump confirmed that Waltz would no longer serve as his national security advisor, as he plans to nominate Waltz to become the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated: “From his time in 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.”
JD Vance has since shared his thoughts on the matter.
Waltz’s departure as National Security Advisor follows a significant security breach involving a journalist from The Atlantic gaining access to a Signal group chat where officials discussed sensitive military plans for US operations in Yemen.
Addressing the incident, Waltz told Fox News: “I take full responsibility. I built the group. It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
Although Trump defended Waltz at the time and chose not to dismiss him, sources indicated to ABC News that there were tensions behind the scenes.
JD Vance has responded to speculation regarding Waltz’s move, telling Fox News’ Special Report host Bret Baier that Waltz was not ‘let go’ due to the ‘Signalgate’ incident.
Vance suggested that Waltz’s new appointment could be considered a promotion, emphasizing that Waltz was brought in to implement significant reforms within the National Security Council, which he achieved.
Vance stated: “I like Mike. I think he’s a great guy. He’s got the trust of both me and the president.”
“But we also thought that he’d make a better UN ambassador as we get beyond this stage of the reforms that we’ve made to the National Security Council.”
“You saw the president announce that Marco Rubio is going to step in as interim leader of the National Security Council.”
“So look, I think the media wants to frame this as a firing – Donald Trump has fired a lot of people, he doesn’t give them senate confirmed appointments afterwards, what he thinks is Mike Waltz is going to better serve the administration, most importantly the American people in that role.”
“And I happen to agree with him.”
Waltz echoed his commitment to the president’s vision, sharing Trump’s message on social media platform X, stating: “I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.”
Following Waltz’s transition, Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will temporarily assume the role of National Security Advisor until a permanent replacement is appointed.