This news was certainly unexpected. Donald Trump’s presidency has now been permanently changed.
And a top advisor was just fired from the Trump administration in a move that has everyone stunned.
Shake-Up at the National Security Council: Waltz Ousted
A significant reshuffle has rocked the National Security Council, with sources confirming to Fox News that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were removed from their posts on Thursday. The purge may extend further, with indications that additional staff departures could soon be announced. At the time of writing, President Donald Trump is expected to address the situation publicly, signaling the weight of this development.
Waltz, a former Florida congressman and decorated Green Beret, has faced intense scrutiny since March, when The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat with senior national security officials, including Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The group was discussing military strikes against terrorists in Yemen, sparking a firestorm of criticism from Democrats and other observers.
In a candid admission on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, Waltz owned up to the blunder. “I take full responsibility. I built the group,” he stated. “It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.” Despite his accountability, the incident has cast a long shadow over his tenure.
The White House remained tight-lipped earlier this week when pressed about rumors of Waltz’s impending exit. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt deflected, telling Fox News Digital, “We are not going to respond to reporting from anonymous sources.”
Meanwhile, Trump convened a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, just after marking his 100th day back in office, with Waltz still in attendance—a fleeting moment of normalcy before the storm.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries seized on the news of Waltz’s departure, telling Fox News, “The National Security Advisor Waltz is out. He’s the first. He certainly won’t be the last.” The comment hints at a deeper reckoning within the administration’s national security apparatus.
The controversy traces back to the leaked Signal chat, where Waltz tasked Wong with “pulling together a tiger team” to coordinate action against the Houthis. “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours,” Waltz wrote, as reported by The Atlantic.
Wong, his principal deputy, was directed to assemble a team to follow up on a Situation Room meeting. The inclusion of a journalist in the chat, however, turned a routine operation into a public relations debacle.
BREAKING: Mike Walz out as National Security Advisor. His deputy Alex Wong will also be leaving his post. pic.twitter.com/YoYNi2wePm
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 1, 2025
Trump addressed the fallout in early April, confirming that a small number of National Security Council staffers had already been let go. Speaking from Air Force One on April 3, he said, “Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else.”
He downplayed the scale of the firings but expressed confidence in his team, noting their “big success with the Houthis.”
The administration has consistently defended Waltz, with Leavitt declaring the matter “closed” in late March. “As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” she told reporters outside the White House press room on March 31.
“There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she added, emphasizing the team’s role in enhancing national security.
Despite these assurances, the ousting of Waltz and Wong marks a dramatic turn. The March 15 strikes on Houthi rebels proceeded without further leaks, but the earlier misstep has now culminated in a high-profile shake-up.
As the administration moves forward, all eyes are on Trump’s next steps—and whether more heads will roll.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
