President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) to be his national security adviser when he takes office in January.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s decision to select the Green Beret veteran to the position on Monday night.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed the report to The Daily Wire.
National security adviser 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.
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 a 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.”
WATCH:
It’s no surprise that foreign leaders are eager to reconnect with President Trump.
They know he brings strength, understands deterrence, and knows how to make deals that WORK. pic.twitter.com/ktvpo03C4H
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) November 11, 2024
The move comes after Trump already named Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to U.N. Ambassador, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan to be his new “border czar”, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to lead the EPA.