Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz expected to depart administration, sources say

By Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak, Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene and Zachary Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to depart from the Trump administration in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN, the first major staff shakeup since the president took office in January.

Waltz’s job has been in limbo after it was made clear to him earlier this week that his time leading the National Security Council had come to an end, according to a source familiar with the matter. Alex Wong, the deputy national security adviser, will also exit the White House, according to another person familiar.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and friend of President Donald Trump, is under consideration to replace Waltz as national security adviser, that person said, though no decision has been made. Witkoff has led discussions with Russia and Iran as Trump looks for international deals.

Waltz has been on shaky ground and lost most of his influence in the West Wing after he inadvertently added a reporter to a group chat about military strikes. Trump stood by him at the time, but Waltz’s standing never really recovered, according to four sources. He had also lost clout with top aides inside the West Wing.

Trump considered firing him at the time, but declined because he didn’t want to provide his enemies a perceived victory. He also hoped to avoid the type of chaos that colored his first administration.

But 100 days in, Trump no longer appears as concerned about the appearance of disorder. Multiple people familiar with the matter have increasingly described Waltz’s potential ouster as a matter of “when, not if.”

His influence internally had been waning for weeks, illustrated best by Trump’s decision to dismiss several staffers from the National Security Council at the urging of conspiracy theorist Laura Boomer, who told him they were disloyal. Waltz boarded Marine One with Trump on Tuesday, but when his colleagues boarded Air Force One about ten minutes later, he remained on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews instead. One White House official said he was never slated to travel with Trump to Michigan, but the move was viewed as odd by other aides inside the administration.

Behind the scenes, some administration officials had begun quietly discussing an offramp for Waltz over the last several days. Trump has expressed frustration with him on multiple fronts, including the Signal episode. He was also irritated the Florida congressional race to replace Waltz was closer than expected, two sources familiar with the conversations told CNN.

Discussions around Waltz have focused on both finding a place to move him for a soft landing, and having someone ready in the wings to move into that position, those sources said.

But on Thursday, one administration official suggested the search for a soft landing spot is no longer a top priority.

“President Trump lost confidence in him a while ago,” this source said.

The-CNN-Wire
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