Photo: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images
At least Donald Trump’s cabinet made it intact until the 101st day of his presidency. National security advisor Mike Waltz is expected to step down on Thursday in the first shake-up among the president’s top advisors.
The development, reported first by CBS News, comes just over a month after Waltz faced a barrage of criticism for adding The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a groupchat on Signal in which cabinet officials discussed war plans for a strike in Yemen. Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, is also reportedly expected to step down.
In public, Trump said he was standing by Waltz, describing him as “a good man” who “learned a lesson.” But in private, administration officials debated whether or not he should be removed, as outside allies like MAGA firebrand Laura Loomer visited the White House to push for his removal. Though Loomer failed to get rid of Waltz and Wong last month, she did cause several NSC staffers to lose their jobs.
Trump officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, were frustrated with Waltz’s performance prior to the Signal controversy, according to the Wall Street Journal, which confirmed the Waltz ouster on Thursday morning. He was not perfectly aligned with Trump on national security matters, presenting a more traditional Republican hawk’s view on the war in Ukraine and tensions with Iran.
