Above photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.
Eyes Witkoff As Replacement.
Iran war-hawk Waltz reportedly ‘lost trust’ within the White House following the Signalgate scandal and was seen as ‘not effective’ in his role coordinating foreign policy.
US media reports on 1 May revealed that US President Donald Trump is expected to remove National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and one of his top deputies, Alex Wong, from their posts, allegedly over the “Signalgate” scandal.
“He could leave imminently, but the move is not final,” POLITICO cited informed sources as saying.
FOX NEWS ALERT: Mike Waltz out as Trump’s national security adviser pic.twitter.com/SbHeUmmiU0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 1, 2025
According to US officials who spoke with multiple western media outlets, Waltz and Wong are expected to step down after “losing the trust” of other officials and lacking support within the White House.
“Special envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and friend of President Donald Trump, is under consideration to replace Waltz as national security advisor,” CNN reported.
In response to the news, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “We are not going to respond to reporting from anonymous sources.”
Waltz had reportedly been “on shaky ground” after adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a private Signal chat describing details of a US attack against Yemen in late March that killed dozens of civilians.
Other top officials in the unsecured chat discussing US military action against Yemen included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, State Secretary Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Special Envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Last week, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Hegseth shared sensitive military plans in a separate Signal chat group that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
News on Waltz’s expected dismissal comes hours after Oman announced that indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US would be postponed, citing “logistical reasons.” According to Axios, Washington “never confirmed its participation” in the fourth round of talks.
Witkoff, the alleged replacement of Waltz, is leading the talks for the US side.
Sources familiar with the current government’s dealings told Reuters, “Waltz was too hawkish for the war-averse Trump and was seen as not effectively coordinating foreign policy among a variety of agencies.”
During a televised interview with Fox News in March, Waltz demanded the “full dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear energy program – a red line according to authorities in Tehran.
“This isn’t some kind of, you know, kind of tit-for-tat that we had under the Obama administration or Biden. This is the full program. Give it up or there will be consequences,” Waltz said.