Trump nominates Mike Waltz for US Ambassador to UN

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he picked National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to be US ambassador to the UN.

"I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role," Trump said.

He added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim National Security Adviser.

The role does not require Senate confirmation.

Rubio is now simultaneously serving in four government roles. In February, Trump made him Acting Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and acting Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The UN envoy post was opened after Trump withdrew Elise Stefanik's nomination last month, saying that she would stay in Congress and "rejoin the House Leadership Team."

Waltz, a 51-year-old former Republican lawmaker from the state of Florida, said he is "deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation."

Unlike the National Security Adviser role, Waltz will need the Senate's backing to become the UN envoy.

Media reports said earlier that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, are set to leave their posts at the White House.

Waltz came under scrutiny in March after he mistakenly included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, in a Signal app group chat that discussed US military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.