Trump ousts White House national security adviser

US President Donald Trump has removed Mike Waltz from his position as National Security Adviser. Marco Rubio, the current Secretary of State, will temporarily assume the role. Trump made the announcement on social media on Thursday (May 1).

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Trump announced that he would nominate Waltz as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations, stating, "He has worked hard to put our nation's interests first."

The dismissal of Waltz had been speculated throughout Thursday. With Marco Rubio's appointment to the new position, this marks the first time since the 1970s that one person will hold multiple key roles, a precedent established by Henry Kissinger.

Two sources also told Reuters that Waltz' assistant and Asia specialist, Alex Wang, was forced to resign. Wang had been responsible for North Korea issues during Trump’s first term.

In the past month, significant changes have taken place in Trump’s National Security team. Since April 1, at least 20 members of the National Security Council have been dismissed, along with the head of the agency and three key political appointees in the Department of Defense.

Several sources close to the Trump administration say the impact of these changes is evident among the Council’s staff, with many believing the frequent reshuffling has seriously affected employee morale.