Donald Trump has appointed Michael Waltz as the US's Ambassador to the United Nations following reports from across the pond suggesting the National Security Adviser would be "leaving his post next week".
It was previously reported Waltz would depart from his White House role together with his deputy Alex Wong on Thursday.
"I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"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."
Waltz came under scrutiny in March after he put together a Signal chat and mistakenly included The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg
| REUTERSHe continued: "In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.
"Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Waltz came under scrutiny in March after he put together a Signal chat and mistakenly included The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg.
In the group, called "Houthi PC small group", confidential military plans, including strikes in Yemen, were discussed.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Waltz is the first major administration member to leave during Trump's second term
| Getty
The strikes eventually took place on March 15 and saw over 50 people die
|REUTERS
The group accidentally added a journalist to a sensitive Signal group chat called 'Houthi PC small group' | ADEM AY | UNSPLASHVice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth were also part of the group.
Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the publication, later wrote about the incident extensively, sharing screenshots from the group chat.
The editor wrote up how he was privy to chats over operational details, as well as other sensitive information.
The strikes eventually took place on March 15 and saw over 50 people die.
The Atlantic initially did not publish the full details of the messages, saying it did not want to publish classified information.
However, following claims that the messages were fabricated, Goldberg said he believes that "people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions".
Trump said the texting of sensitive plans was "the only glitch in two months". He said he believed the chat contained "no classified information".
However, Democrats and some Republicans had called for an investigation into what several lawmakers described as a major breach.
Trump said the texting of sensitive plans was 'the only glitch in two months'
| POOLWaltz is the first major administration member to leave during Trump's second term. He was one of Trump's first appointments after his election.
Wong served in the first Trump administration as deputy special representative for North Korea and also as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department.
Announcing his appointment, Trump said that he helped negotiate his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Democrats have already responded online to the reported departures, with Congressman Herb Conway calling it a "good start".
"One less person who will put our troops in harm's way and risk our national security," Congresswoman Julie Johnson writes in a post on X.
Congressman Eugene Vindman says they are "halfway there", calling for Hegseth to be given the chop too.