So, it looks like President-elect Donald Trump has reached out to Rep. Mike Waltz from Florida to take on the role of national security adviser, according to someone in the know.
If Waltz takes on this role, he’ll need to deal with several geopolitical conflicts that will come up during Trump’s second term, like the Ukraine-Russia situation and the Israel-Hamas wars.
Waltz, a loyal supporter of Trump, is a Green Beret with combat decorations who has served in places like Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. He’ll be the first former Green Beret to take on that role.
So, it looks like Trump has made an offer, and The Wall Street Journal was the first to spill the beans on it. He’s on the hunt for some big names to join his team as he gears up for his presidency. We’re talking about positions like ‘border czar,’ EPA administrator, UN ambassador, and even attorney general, all to help push his plans forward.
The congressman is about to take on a role that hasn’t always led to the friendliest vibes with Trump. The former president had some disagreements with two of the guys who held the position before him: John Bolton and Retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. They’ve both spoken out against their old boss in public.
Trump’s choices this time around have been shaped by those relationships, as he aims to reward the people who have supported him over the last couple of years. There’s still some regret about certain top aides and Cabinet officials from his first term who tried to push back against his sometimes impulsive requests and wishes.
The former president mentioned that his national security team might take a fresh look at how the United States approaches Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East conflict, China, and Iran.
Waltz’s choice might be viewed as a setback in the ongoing discussion about a revived Trump “America First” agenda, which is creating a divide between the national security hawks in his party and those who lean towards isolationism. Waltz, who used to work as a policy staffer in the Bush White House, would probably adopt a foreign policy approach similar to that of Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State under Trump.
When CNN’s Jack Tapper asked Waltz about Trump’s immigration promises on “The Lead” last week, he highlighted the situation of immigrants following America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The most upset immigrant I’ve ever talked to is one who came here legally, waited for years, did everything right, and then just watched as the government — especially the Biden-Harris administration — turned a blind eye while others broke the law and skipped the queue’, he said. “First and foremost, we have to think about the Afghans who are upset. These are the people who were ready to fight and even die alongside us, and now they’re still stuck over there.”
When asked if he had discussed the situation of Afghans wanting to come to the U.S. with Trump, Waltz said he had done so “quite some time ago, after the Afghanistan withdrawal, we talked about it.”
“Take another look, it’s really going to focus on securing the border.” “We’re focussing on stopping the inflow and getting rid of the worst of the worst,” Waltz said.
And then when we chat about these bigger issues, especially, he felt for those people who were falling off planes, they were so desperate to escape.” He showed a lot of understanding for those ready to fight and sacrifice for our soldiers.
We’ve added some more details to this story.
