It appears that the Signalgate scandal has brought about one of the first major personnel departures of the second Trump Administration.
CBS News reported on Thursday that Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, will be leaving his post, as will Waltz’s top deputy, Alex Wong. The two will leave today, according to “multiple sources familiar with their departure.”
Why Is Mike Waltz Out?
Waltz was a central figure in the Signalgate scandal, in which plans to attack the Houthis in Yemen were discussed on the commercially available messaging app Signal, and The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally invited to the chat, on which he later reported.
Waltz had created the chat himself and personally invited Goldberg. Waltz then spent weeks under fire for his role in the controversy, both because of his carelessness and because the invite indicated that he had a pre-existing relationship with Goldberg, a journalist seen as hostile to Trump. The two gave conflicting accounts about whether they had ever met before.
Waltz became the national security adviser after serving as a Congressman from Florida. The resignation means Waltz gave up his seat in Congress to serve in the Administration for just over three months.
Whether this counts as the first cabinet departure in Trump’s second presidency likely depends on the semantic question of whether the national security adviser is part of the cabinet, although Waltz did appear at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.
Trump’s Public Comments
The president had been supportive of Waltz in his public comments in the weeks after the Signalgate scandal broke, although occasional reporting showed that his support behind the scenes was teetering.
Per the CBS reporting, citing a National Security Council source, Trump “thinks sufficient time has passed since the Signal incident that Waltz and Wong’s departures can be framed as part of a reorganization. The president has been hesitant to oust Waltz over the perception that doing so could be seen as bending to outside pressure.”
Fox News confirmed the reporting that Waltz was out. Waltz had appeared on Fox & Friends just hours earlier, filled with effusive praise for Trump, his fellow Signalgate figure, Pete Hegseth, and others in the administration. Waltz had also appeared on Wednesday at the cabinet meeting, in which he and others went around the table to praise Trump.
“We’ve had a hundred days of your leadership, with respect, with strength, starting with ‘there’ll be all hell to pay’ if you don’t let our people go,” Waltz said in the cabinet meeting. But it was not, alas, enough to save his job.
As for Wong, a longtime Republican staffer, Trump loyalist and conspiracist Laura Loomer alleged a “China link” with Wong and his wife, a theory that is completely baseless, very racist, and drew a rebuke from Wong’s former boss Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who described Wong and his wife as “complete and total patriots, 100% MAGA Warriors who always put America First.”
The Flynn Precedent
Waltz, at least, is not Trump’s shortest-serving national security adviser. That would be Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who held the job at the beginning of Trump’s first term but resigned less than a month after the inauguration.
Flynn was later indicted, pleaded guilty, had the case dismissed, was pardoned, and became an adherent of the QAnon conspiracy theory, although of late, the conspiracy-sphere has shown signs of turning against Flynn.
John Bolton spent part of the first Trump Administration in the national security adviser role, but that, too, ended badly, with Bolton becoming a Trump critic and writing an anti-Trump book with the Hamilton-inspired title “The Room Where It Happened.”
The second Trump Administration has been pitched as different from the first, in that it is packed with ultra-loyalists and more prepared. Therefore, there has been a lot less sudden firing of cabinet secretaries and other personnel. But the departure of Waltz shows that scandals that lead to early resignations are far from a thing of the past in Trumpworld.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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