Mike Waltz is stepping down as President Trump’s national security adviser, marking the most significant personnel change of Trump’s second term so far and coming in the wake of a growing scandal over a private group chat involving classified military details. Multiple outlets have confirmed the move, and insiders say it wasn’t just a quiet resignation Trump personally made the call to push Waltz out following what has become known as “SignalGate.”
The controversy erupted after Waltz reportedly added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to a Signal group chat where top national security officials were discussing a military strike in Yemen. Goldberg later published details of the exchange, which included messages from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlining the planned strike on Houthi rebels. The administration insists the shared material wasn’t classified, but the political fallout was swift.
Now, Waltz is expected to officially leave in the coming days, alongside his deputy, Alex Wong, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision. Though the White House press secretary declined to confirm the reports, citing a policy of not commenting on anonymous sources, several insiders made clear that Waltz’s removal was driven by the embarrassment caused by the leak.
Trump had initially defended Waltz after the March incident, calling him a loyal and capable adviser. But the president reportedly lost patience after internal security reviews pointed to serious lapses in digital protocol and judgment. Trump, known for his demand for tight loyalty and discretion, ultimately concluded that someone had to be held accountable and Waltz, despite being a longtime ally, was out.
Chief of staff Susie Wiles recently said she expected all Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretaries to remain in place through Trump’s first year back in office. Waltz’s exit disrupts that projection and underscores how seriously Trump took the SignalGate fallout.
While no classified information was officially compromised, the optics of inadvertently including a journalist in a live war-planning chat stunned both critics and supporters. The White House has remained mostly silent since, though behind the scenes, sources say Trump was “furious” over the breach and felt it undercut his narrative of strength and competence in global affairs.
Waltz’s exit, coupled with the forced departure of the person who added Goldberg to the chat, signals that Trump is not only reshuffling his team but sending a clear message: security missteps, no matter how unintentional, won’t be tolerated in this administration