Donald Trump has asked Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida to be his White House National Security Advisor, sources familiar with the decision tell DailyMail.com.
Waltz, a former Army Green Beret, has established himself as one of the foremost China hawks in the House and was selected following Trump’s busy day of firming up his Cabinet.
Among the various China-related bills Waltz has co-sponsored are measures designed to lessen U.S. reliance on critical minerals mined in China. He’s also known as a NATO skeptic amid its work during the war in Ukraine.
Waltz is on speaking terms with Trump and was also widely considered to be a candidate for secretary of defense.
Presidents often turn to Congress to fill top agency jobs, and Trump may well be tempted to look there again, although the nature of the Senate majority, reclaimed by the GOP on Election Day, will be critical.
Donald Trump has asked Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida to be his White House National Security Advisor, sources familiar with the decision tell DailyMail.com
Waltz, a former Army Green Beret, has established himself as one of the foremost China hawks in the House
Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a retired Marine colonel, has said someone like Waltz with a deep military background may not be as dramatic of a change as others who may be viewed as stronger Trump loyalists.
The Congressman has yet to publicly comment on the decision.
Waltz, like other advisors to the White House, would not require Senate confirmation as heads of departments do. Trump has already signaled he will bypass the Senate through recess appointments.
Trump had varying luck with four National Security Advisors during his first term in office.
Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster, Robert O’Brien and John Bolton all served in the position.
The president spent much of Monday attempting to secure key parts of his cabinet ahead of his January inauguration.
He has offered the role of US ambassador to the United Nations to Elise Stefanik.
The House Republican and top ally of the president accepted the UN gig after it was offered on Sunday, DailyMail.com confirmed.
Representative Michael Waltz speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention
The Congressman has yet to publicly comment on the decision
‘I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,’ Trump said in a statement.
Stefanik will fill the seat that was once held by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has had a complicated history with the president-elect after running against him in the GOP primary.
Haley did not appear on the campaign trail for him despite repeatedly claiming she was ‘on standby.’
Stefanik had appeared at Trump’s now infamous rally inside Madison Square Garden last month as the race for the White House intensified.
Trump also selected former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to be his next Environmental Protection Agency administrator.
Zeldin confirmed the news on X.com, promising to ‘restore American energy dominance’ and ‘slash the red tape holding back American workers from upward economic mobility.’
‘We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.’
Trump has promised to provide ‘crystal clean’ water and ‘the cleanest’ air as part of his environmental priorities but widely views the EPA as a hindrance to economic growth.
A Republican congressman, Zeldin narrowly lost his 2022 attempt to unseat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.