Trump Picks Mike Waltz as His National Security Adviser

President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 12 announced he has picked Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a vocal critic of communist China, to serve as his national security adviser.
Trump said Waltz would serve in his cabinet as national security adviser, elevating the role, which is not normally a cabinet-rank position.
“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!”
Waltz, who won reelection last week for his fourth term representing the Sixth Congressional District in east-central Florida, was the first Green Beret elected to Congress. He has been chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
The national security adviser is appointed by the U.S. president and does not require Senate confirmation.
Before becoming a Florida congressman, Waltz served as a military adviser in the Bush administration and worked under defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates as a defense policy director.
“There is no one more capable or qualified for this crucial role,” Rogers wrote. “As a Green Beret, Rep. Waltz bravely fought to defend our nation. As a leader on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Waltz has continued to work around the clock to bolster U.S. national security.
“The China Initiative has strengthened U.S. efforts to aggressively investigate and prosecute cases of CCP economic espionage and theft of U.S. trade secrets,” the letter reads.
On June 4, 2023, Waltz took to X to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and shared the famous Tank Man photograph.
The CCP considers Taiwan a part of its territory and has been threatening to take the island by force.
Due to opposition from Beijing, which holds veto power at the U.N., Taipei cannot participate in international organizations such as the World Health Organization. Waltz addressed the issue in May 2020 amid the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.