President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) will be his national security advisor after he is sworn into office in January.
“I am honored to announce that Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) is hereby appointed to serve in my Cabinet as my National Security Advisor,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress, and previously served in the White House and Pentagon.”
Trump noted how Waltz’s 27 years in the military – where he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two for valor – prepared him for the role.
“Mike retired as a Colonel, and is a nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism,” Trump said. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!”
Waltz accepted the position in a statement posted to X on Tuesday evening, saying that he was “deeply honored” to be chosen.
“Together with President Trump and his team, we will confront the evolving challenges of today’s world and hold firm against those who would harm our way of life,” he said. “Our nation deserves nothing less than bold, unwavering leadership, and that’s what he will deliver.”
“America will keep its allies close, we will not be afraid to confront our adversaries, and we will invest in the technologies that keep our country strong,” he continued. “America’s greatest strength is its booming economy and our energy dominance, and those tools will keep us out of wars and allow us to once again lead from a position of strength.”
I am deeply honored President Trump is placing his trust in me to serve in his Cabinet as National Security Advisor. There is no higher calling than defending our nation’s values, freedoms, and the safety of every American.
Together with President Trump and his team, we will…
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) November 12, 2024
Waltz currently serves as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
He graduated with honors from the Virginia Military Institute.
Waltz was deployed around the world while in the Special Forces, including Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s decision to appoint Waltz to the position on Monday night. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the report to The Daily Wire.
National security advisor is a role that is highly influential in any administration as it is responsible for briefing the president on national security matters, coordinating between national security agencies, and executing the president’s agenda.
The role does not require Senate confirmation.
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Waltz is a well-known China hawk and should be a champion for a peace-through-strength approach to U.S. foreign policy.
During an interview on Fox News this week, the first thing that Waltz mentioned was getting the American hostages back from Hamas.
“First and foremost, in my mind, Maria, is that we still have … seven American citizens being held hostage in the tunnels of Gaza. By the time of inauguration day, they will have been held longer than the Iranians held our hostages in 1979,” he said. “Think about that. I mean, what a what a failure for them, of this Biden and Harris administration’s appeasement, concessions-based approach towards Iran.”
“President Trump knows that if Iran is bankrupt, then they can’t send money out to all of their terrorist proxies, much less launch missiles at our great ally, Israel,” he continued. “And no president has done more for Israel than Donald J. Trump, from recognizing the Golan Heights to moving our embassy to literally just four years ago, we had peace deals being signed on the White House lawn.”