President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) to be his national security adviser, confirming long-standing rumors that he would be joining the Trump Administration.
The appointment comes just hours after Trump selected Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to be his Ambassador to the United Nations and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan to the position of "border czar" in charge of the massive removal of illegal aliens allowed into the country under the Biden-Harris Administration.
As Reuters explained, Rep. Waltz's role as national security adviser will have him brief President Trump on national security issues, a powerful position that does not require Senate confirmation.
After all, the Florida Congressman and former Green Beret has stepped up to bat for Trump in foreign policy multiple times, with his most recent comments coming after a second Iranian plot to assassinate the President-elect was uncovered just before Election Day.
"The Ayatollah has decided that [Trump's] return is an existential threat to their control. They know President Trump will go back to maximum pressure, which, just a few years ago, had them almost bankrupt, and the Arab nations were signing peace deals with Israel on the White House lawn," said Waltz.
Rumors initially spread surrounding the possibility of Rep. Waltz becoming Secretary of Defense, a position he was expected to have accepted equally to his now-confirmed national security adviser role.
"I’ve worked in the Pentagon. I’ve worked in the White House and now on the committees. I’ve obviously been in the military for 27 years. I’ve helped advise [Trump] on national security issues and if the president calls, the president calls," the Florida Congressman said in a statement to Punchbowl News earlier this year.
Rep. Waltz previously served as a defense policy director for secretaries of defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. In 2018, he joined the House, replacing then-Representative Ron DeSantis (R-FL) after he was elected governor.
