Trump picks national security advisor

Anti-China US Congressman Mike Waltz will help craft the incoming administration’s foreign policy

US President-elect Donald Trump has named Mike Waltz, a Republican Congressman from Florida, as his choice for the next national security advisor. 

A US Army veteran who worked at the Pentagon and the White House, Waltz has been described by American media as a China hawk and a Ukraine aid skeptic. 

Trump announced his pick on Tuesday, hailing Waltz as a “strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, [who] will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength.”

“Together with President Trump and his team, we will confront the evolving challenges of today’s world and hold firm against those who would harm our way of life,” Waltz wrote on X. “America will keep its allies close, we will not be afraid to confront our adversaries.” 

The national security advisor is a top presidential aide tasked with helping to make key foreign policy decisions. Waltz’s appointment will not require confirmation by the Senate. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Waltz as a “patriot” and the “perfect person to advise President Trump and defend our interests on the world stage.”

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A Green Beret veteran, Waltz served with the US military for nearly 30 years and took part in combat missions in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. He was first elected to Congress in 2018 and retired from his military service during his second term. 

He also served as defense policy director for Defense Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. His wife, Julia Nesheiwat, served as Trump’s homeland security advisor during the last year of his first presidential term. 

Waltz has been a member of the House China Task Force, which develops measures against “threats” posed by China. He also introduced bills aimed at countering Beijing’s influence on the world stage and has accused the country of “trying to usurp us as a global leader.”

“China’s aggressive activity throughout the Indo-Pacific necessitates US action,” the congressman said last year. 

Speaking about the conflict in Ukraine, Waltz argued that Washington should use its “leverage” to bring Kiev and Moscow to the negotiating table.

During his first term, Trump fired his then-national security advisor H.R. McMaster, as well as his successor, John Bolton. He eventually called Bolton’s appointment his “biggest mistake,” as the career diplomat became one of his harshest critics.