Latest news with #MikeWaltz
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Will Trump's China policy become more unpredictable after national security shake-up?
Donald Trump 's shake-up of the US National Security Council may be a sign he is increasingly relying on his instinct over expert advice, potentially increasing the unpredictability in Washington's approach to China, diplomatic observers have said. The shake-up could also be 'bad news' for Taiwan , which may find it harder to speak to key people in the White House, they added. The White House dismissed around 100 staff from the council last week – many from the China team – as part of Trump's wider overhaul of the federal government. The NSC swelled to over 300 staff under Joe Biden, but Trump's eventual goal is to reduce it to 50. Earlier this month national security adviser Mike Waltz was removed from his post after sharing classified information through the messaging app Signal and reportedly disagreeing with Trump over some aspects of foreign policy. Alex Wong, another known China hawk and former deputy national security adviser, has also been reassigned to another role, according to The Washington Post.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump slashing half of National Security Council staff
President Trump is slashing half of the National Security Council (NSC) staff as part of a restructuring process under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as the acting national security adviser. The administration is downsizing the NSC, made up of top advisers and experts tasked with advising the president on national security and foreign policy matters, by gutting around half of the current 350-person workforce, who will be transferred to other posts with the government, a White House official confirmed to The Hill on Saturday. The shrinking of the NSC, which was made official Friday, is seen by the administration as a way to streamline the process within the agency and allow for national security decision-making to accelerate. 'The right-sizing of the NSC is in line with its original purpose and the president's vision. The NSC will now be better positioned to collaborate with agencies,' Rubio said in a statement to Axios, which first reported on the shake-up. As part of the overhaul, Andy Baker and Robert Gabriel will now work as deputy national security advisers, another source familiar with the matter told The Hill on Saturday. Gabriel was an assistant to the president for policy. Baker will keep working in his post as Vice President Vance's national security adviser while adding the NSC to his portfolio. The restructuring of the NSC comes roughly three weeks after Trump tapped Rubio to replace Mike Waltz as his national security adviser on an interim basis. The president selected Waltz to be the country's next ambassador to the United Nations, a position that will require Senate confirmation. In early April, five NSC staffers were fired after Trump met at the White House with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who during the meeting questioned the aides' loyalty. 'I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security,' Loomer said at the time. Updated at 12:09 pm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
White House National Security Council slashes staff in dramatic restructuring, sources say
By Gram Slattery and Steve Holland , Reuters President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order next to a bust of former US President Abraham Lincoln in the Oval Office of the White House 23 May 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images / AFP Dozens of staffers were fired from the White House National Security Council (NSC), as President Donald Trump moved to slash the size and scope of the once-powerful body, five sources briefed on the matter said. Staff dealing with most major geopolitical issues, from Ukraine to Kashmir, were terminated Friday afternoon (local time), said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media. The move came just weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser. The NSC restructuring is expected to further reduce the agency's influence, transforming it from a powerful policymaking body into a small organisation focused more on implementing the president's agenda than on shaping it, the sources said. In practice, the move is expected to grant more authority to the State Department, the Defense Department and other departments and agencies involved in diplomacy, national security and intelligence matters, the sources said. The administration's aim is to reduce the size of the NSC to just a few dozen people. Four sources with knowledge of the plans said they expect the final headcount at the NSC to come out to around 50 people. The NSC is traditionally the main body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions regarding America's approach to the world's most volatile conflicts and play a key role in keeping America safe. The body had more than 300 staffers under Democratic President Joe Biden, but even before the recent firings under Trump was considerably less than half the size of Biden's NSC. The staffers who are cut from the agency will be moved to other positions in government, two of the sources told Reuters. Two other sources described a chaotic scene in recent hours. Outgoing staff were in some cases reduced to tears in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the NSC is housed, they said. Many conservatives have long pushed for a pared-down NSC, arguing that a number of the positions are duplicative of functions found elsewhere in the government. Democrats and some Republicans have argued that gutting the body will mean Trump's policies are less informed by expert advice. The NSC has had a hard time recruiting top talent in recent months. Certain key positions, like the top post overseeing Latin American affairs, were never filled on a permanent basis. Several high-ranking staffers were fired earlier in the year after right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer presented Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. Disclosures that Waltz, the previous national security adviser, had accidentally shared information on an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen with an Atlantic journalist further dented morale. As part of the restructuring, certain sections of the NSC - known as directorates - are expected to be combined with other directorates or eliminated altogether, three sources said. In most of the directorates that remain, only a few staff are left, the sources added. Among the directorates that may cease to operate as independent bodies are those overseeing African affairs and multilateral organisations, like NATO, three sources said. - Reuters
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Why Trump's Ultimate Humiliation for Signalgate ‘Idiot' is a ‘Girl Job'
President Donald Trump's nomination of former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to the post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations may seem like another instance of a disgraced white man failing up. It's not. Naming Waltz to the top UN spot is political castration. Of the last ten National Security Advisors, nine were men. Of the last ten U.S. Ambassadors to the UN, eight were women. In other words, the post Waltz may soon fill is a 'girl job.' Trump has always viewed the UN ambassadorship as suitable for a woman. A UN ambassador throws parties, chit-chats with guests, and happily nods while men drone on. It's basically a hostess gig and women are great at that. In his first administration, Trump named former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to the position where she oversaw the administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate agreement, and the UN Human Rights Council. When Haley left, Trump announced he'd found the perfect replacement. In fact, he declared, there wasn't 'anybody more competent in the world.' He was, of course, referring to his daughter Ivanka. But she turned down the job, noting 'I know the President will nominate a formidable replacement for Ambassador Haley.' Instead, Trump selected Kelly Craft, a businesswoman and wife of a billionaire coal mining executive who contributed more than $2 million in the 2016 cycle. In his second administration, Trump started by following the same instinct that the UN ambassador–like his Press Secretary– should be a woman. In November, he chose New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik to succeed Linda Thomas-Greenfield who held the job in the Biden administration. Stefanik was thrilled with Trump's offer, noting that she was 'deeply humbled' to accept the nomination. Presumably, she was even more humbled when Trump took to TruthSocial on March 27 to insist, 'There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations. Therefore, Elise will stay in Congress…' The timing of that announcement was startling. There was speculation that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Stefanik were perhaps feuding. (They both denied this.) A better explanation may be that three days before Trump dropped Stefanik, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was using the Signal app to discuss ongoing military maneuvers. Goldberg knew this because he had been mistakenly added to the Signal group chat by one emoji-loving ex-Army Special Forces officer. It's possible that the plan to move Waltz to the UN began that day with the hard-working, ever-faithful Stefanik being sacrificed to open the slot. On his end, Waltz is acting like he dropped his tray in the school cafeteria but it's all cool. The former Nat Sec Advisor took to the former Twitter to succinctly say, 'I'm deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.' Heading into confirmation hearings, expect Waltz to feel less 'honored' and more humiliated. Senators, including some Republicans, will grill him over Signalgate. Waltz will have to defend his many bad choices, including his dumb and childish emojis. (These may be another reason why Trump might think Waltz deserves a 'girl job.' Who loves emojis more than a teenage girl?) If the senate decides not to confirm Waltz then Trump is off the hook for axing him. Trump remained supportive to a loyalist, keeping his hands clean while getting rid of another potential 'birdbrain.' If Waltz fails, perhaps Stefanik will re-emerge as a possibility. Leading the UN delegation would have boosted Stefanik who craves more international experience as a stepping stone to potential bigger jobs like Secretary of State or Vice President in Trump's third term. Or maybe former Haley will make a play to get her old job back. Trump vowed back in November that he would 'not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration.' But if no one else wants the job, she could make a case that she already knows where the bathrooms are. And if Waltz is confirmed, he will gladly take all the perks that come with the UN ambassadorship, including free travel and a swanky penthouse apartment at 50 United Nations Plaza. Still, it's a step down from being in the Pentagon inner circle. No one should be surprised if Waltz decides to put in minimal hours, follow Russia's lead on votes, and turn his 'girl job,' into 'a lazy girl job.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
White House Slashing Staff in Major Overhaul of National Security Council
President Donald Trump is ordering a major overhaul of the National Security Council that will shrink its size, lead to the ouster of some political appointees and return many career government employees back to their home agencies, according to two US officials and one person familiar with the reorganization. The number of staff at the NSC is expected to be significantly reduced, according to the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel matter. The shake-up is just the latest shoe to drop at the NSC, which is being dramatically made over after the ouster early this month of Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz, who in many ways had hewed to traditional Republican foreign policy, The Associated Press said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been serving as national security adviser since the ouster of Waltz, who was nominated to serve as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. The move is expected to elevate the importance of the State Department and Pentagon in advising Trump on important foreign policy moves. But, ultimately, Trump relies on his own instincts above all else when making decisions. The NSC, created during the Truman administration, is an arm of the White House tasked with advising and assisting the president on national security and foreign policy and coordinating among various government agencies. Trump was frustrated in his first term by political appointees and advisers who he felt gummed up his 'America First' agenda. There were roughly 395 people working at the NSC, including about 180 support staff, according to one official. About 90 to 95 of those being ousted are policy or subject-matter experts seconded from other government agencies. They will be given an opportunity to return to their home agencies if they want. Many of the political appointees will also be given positions elsewhere in the administration, the official said. The NSC has been in a continual state of tumult during the early going of Trump's second go-around in the White House. Waltz was ousted weeks after Trump fired several NSC officials, just a day after the influential far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Loomer has in the past spread 9/11 conspiracy theories and promoted QAnon, an apocalyptic and convoluted conspiracy theory centered on the belief that Trump is fighting the 'deep state,' and took credit for the ouster of the NSC officials that she argued were disloyal. And the White House, days into the administration, sidelined about 160 NSC aides, sending them home while the administration reviewed staffing and tried to align it with Trump's agenda. The aides were career government employees, commonly referred to as detailees. This latest shake-up amounts to a 'liquidation' of NSC staffing, with both career government detailees on assignment to the NSC being sent back to their home agencies and several political appointees being pushed out of their positions, according to the person familiar with the decision. A White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the overhaul, first reported by Axios, was underway. Andy Baker, the national security adviser to Vice President JD Vance, and Robert Gabriel, an assistant to the president for policy, will serve as deputy national security advisers, according to the White House official. Waltz, during his short tenure heading the NSC, came under searing criticism in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an encrypted messaging app that was used to discuss planning for a sensitive military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen. Waltz has taken responsibility for building the text chain but has said he does not know how Goldberg ended up being included. Loomer had encouraged Trump to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the 'Make America Great Again' agenda. She also complained to sympathetic administration officials that Waltz was too reliant on 'neocons' — shorthand for the more hawkish neoconservatives within the Republican Party — as well as what she perceived as 'not-MAGA-enough' types, the person said. It wasn't just Loomer who viewed Waltz suspiciously. He was viewed with a measure of skepticism by some in the MAGA world who saw the former Army Green Beret and three-term congressman as too tied to Washington's foreign policy establishment. On Russia, Waltz shared Trump's concerns about the high price tag of extensive US military aid to Ukraine. But Waltz also advocated for further diplomatically isolating President Vladimir Putin — a position that was out of step with Trump, who has viewed the Russian leader, at moments, with admiration for his cunning in dealings with Trump's predecessors. His more hawkish rhetoric on Iran and China, including US policy toward Taiwan, seemed increasingly out of step with Trump, who — setting aside belligerent rhetoric about taking over Greenland from Denmark — has tilted more toward military restraint and diplomacy in facing some of the United States' most challenging issues with adversaries.
