National security adviser Michael Waltz and deputy national security adviser Alex Wong are about to dip out of President Donald Trump’s administration, according to three sources in the know. Waltz, a former Florida congressman, has been on unstable ground with Trump ever since March when he accidentally tossed a journalist into a private chat on the messaging app Signal with other top national security officials to talk about military strikes in Yemen. White House officials are keeping their lips sealed when it comes to Waltz and Wong’s expected departures.
The Signal chat screenshots shared by The Atlantic revealed that a user named “Michael Waltz” first added the magazine’s big cheese, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the high-level powwow. Waltz owned up to the mishap in an interview with Fox News back in March. “I take full responsibility. I built the — I built the group,” Waltz spilled to host Laura Ingraham. “My job is to make sure everything’s coordinated.”
Trump initially had Waltz’s back after The Atlantic’s report, telling NBC News, “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.” But when chatting with reporters from The Atlantic last week, Trump wasn’t as solid. Trump mentioned that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, another chat participant, was “safe.” “Does he stay longer than Mike Waltz?” The Atlantic’s Ashley Parker asked. “Waltz is fine,” Trump replied. “I mean, he’s here. He just left this office. He’s fine. He was beat up also.”
Despite Trump’s public support, he let off steam privately about his frustration with Waltz in the days following the public incident, according to two Republican sources familiar with the convos. Waltz was a no-show at a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday morning with the president and other top officials, and Trump didn’t mention him in his welcoming remarks.
At a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Waltz gave props to Trump. “We’ve had 100 days of your leadership, with respect, with strength,” Waltz praised. “It’s an honor to serve you in this administration, and I think the world is far better and far safer for it.”
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Carol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor. Julie Tsirkin is a correspondent covering Capitol Hill. Yamiche Alcindor is an NBC News Washington correspondent. Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.
