# Mike Waltz U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations since September 19, 2025. Previously National Security Adviser (January–May 2025). Three-term U.S. Representative for Florida's 6th district (2019–2025) before joining the Trump administration. Green Beret — U.S. Army Special Forces officer in the [[National Guard]], with combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. ## Signalgate (March 2025) As National Security Adviser, Waltz **created the "Houthi PC small group" Signal chat** in March 2025 to coordinate the impending Operation Rough Rider strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen — and **inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of *The Atlantic*, to the chat**, instead of (apparently) U.S. Trade Representative [[Jamieson Greer]]. Goldberg observed [[Pete Hegseth - Signalgate strike timing]] approximately two hours before the first F-18s launched on March 15, 2025, and exited the chat once strikes commenced and authenticity was confirmed. Goldberg published the account on March 24, 2025. The incident — quickly named "Signalgate" — became the first major operational-security crisis of the second Trump administration. Waltz initially denied the chat existed in the form Goldberg described; *The Atlantic* published the full message text on March 26 in response. ## Removal as NSA, UN Ambassador nomination Trump announced May 1, 2025 that Waltz would step down as National Security Adviser; Secretary of State [[Marco Rubio]] became interim NSA. Trump simultaneously nominated Waltz to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The nomination was unusual: most administrations would have treated Signalgate as terminating; the Trump administration instead reassigned Waltz to a Senate-confirmed Cabinet-rank role. Confirmation hearing July 15, 2025. Waltz defended his Signal use and pledged to "make the UN great again." Confirmed September 19, 2025, by a 47–43 vote — one of the closer UN Ambassador confirmations in modern history. ## KB significance Waltz is the focal case for the "no-consequences" pattern of the second Trump administration's response to operational-security failures. The accountability vacuum tracked at [[Pete Hegseth - Signalgate strike timing]] is most concentrated in Waltz's trajectory: the official who created the chat that leaked classified strike timing was, within five months, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. ## Related - [[Pete Hegseth - Signalgate strike timing]] - [[Pete Hegseth]] - [[Jeffrey Goldberg]] - [[Tulsi Gabbard]] - [[John Ratcliffe]]