Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter in Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

It has been a whirlwind day here in Washington so let's try to catch you up on how it all went down:

• This morning, we began hearing whispers that Mike Waltz was leaving his position as national security adviser

• Our reporter asked for clarity but White House press officials declined to comment. President Trump also didn't mention it while he gave remarks at a prayer service in the Rose Garden

• But this afternoon Trump himself confirmed the news on Truth Social - Waltz would no longer be national security adviser

• The president said he would by nominating Waltz as ambassador to the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Waltz's national security portfolio in the interim, he said
• Waltz created the Signal group chat, to which a journalist was inadvertently added last month, where high-ranking officials planned military strikes in Yemen
• The White House appears to have waited for the dust to settle from that before acting, our correspondent Anthony Zurcher writes
• After the announcement, Waltz said he was "honoured" to continue to serve Trump

• To assume the UN ambassador role, Waltz will need to undergo a Senate confirmation hearing, which Democratic opponents of the administration could use to raise questions about Waltz's competence following the Signalgate scandal

We'll shortly be pausing our live coverage of developments from the White House, but you can stay up to date with our story here.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump has just boarded a US Air Force plane, en route to deliver a commencement address at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Trump didn't respond to shouted questions from reporters at Joint Base Andrews, or on the White House lawn.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter in Washington DC

Image source, Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

A Reuters photo taken by journalist Evelyn Hockstein at the White House on Wednesday appears to show Mike Waltz, JD Vance, and other senior officials have continued to use the messaging app Signal to communicate, weeks after a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat.

A photo shows Waltz checking his phone during yesterday's mammoth televised cabinet meeting. When zoomed in, the screen shows ongoing conversations with a contact saved under the name JD Vance.

The message from the Vance contact read in part: "I have confirmation from my counterpart it's turned off. He is going to be here."

As a reminder, a defence department memo warned in March that Signal could be vulnerable to Russian hackers and is "NOT approved to process or store nonpublic unclassified information."

There is no suggestion Waltz's use of the application during the cabinet meeting was in breach of the policy.

The screen also shows a voice call that morning between Waltz and a contact saved under the name Tulsi Gabbard, who is the director of national intelligence.

We are learning more about the departure of Mike Waltz from his position as national security adviser, and the future of deputy Alex Wong, after sources spoke to the BBC's US news partner CBS.

They report that it hasn't been decided who will replace Waltz, and it was a last-minute decision to nominate him as UN ambassador. It was so last minute, sources say, that White House officials had been speaking to other people about assuming the UN post in days in recent days.

Trump reportedly made the decision on Thursday morning, taking action later in the day.

There had been previous senior-level discussions on removing Waltz from the security role, according to CBS. Reasons for him being removed include the Signal chat situation, a lack of good fit between Waltz and the senior team, and that he didn't vet staff correctly.

However, Trump still respects Waltz, as can be seen through the more low-key firing and re-hiring done today, sources say.

As for deputy Alex Wong, it remains unclear if he will stay at the National Security Council.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

The role of Donald Trump's national security adviser role has been filled by a variety of faces over the years, some lasting longer than others.

Let’s look back at who they were:

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Waltz - 3 months, 11 days

The man of the hour. He will be temporarily replaced by Marco Rubio.

Robert O’Brien - 1 year, 124 days

O’Brien was hired by the Trump administration in September 2019 and stayed until the end of his first term in 2021.

Charles Kupperman - 8 days

Kupperman took over for a short stint after his predecessor John Bolton left the post after clashing with Trump.

Image source, Getty Images

John Bolton - 1 year, 154 days

Bolton was Trump’s longest serving national security adviser, but the two had major foreign policy disagreements.

"I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning," Trump tweeted in September 2019.

HR McMaster - 1 year, 48 days

A former army general, McMaster was another adviser that did not get along with Trump.

Trump had referred to the army lieutenant general's briefings as "gruff and condescending", a source told CNN.

Keith Kellogg - 7 days

Like Kupperman, Keith Kellog was the interim adviser after Trump sacked Michael Flynn.

Image source, Getty Images

Michael Flynn, 24 days

On the job for just under a month, Flynn resigned in February 2017 over allegations of collusion with Russia before Trump took office.

Imogen James
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Marco Rubio already wears many hats in the Trump administration, but is set for another as he steps into the interim post of national security adviser.

This means he will be the key adviser to the president on all national security matters.

His most prominent role until now was secretary of state.

This has seen him play a key role in international diplomacy, from getting a minerals deal with Ukraine over the line, to attempting to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

Rubio also advises the president on foreign policy and oversees the management of embassies and consulates.

His new role means he'll have four positions in government. The others are as Acting Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration and Acting Administrator of the US Agency for International Development

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

News of Waltz's nomination to the UN is still fresh, and we don't know yet whether he will be confirmed by the Senate.

But already, the chatter already among many in Washington is that the move, perhaps, provides a quiet way for Trump to dispose of Waltz without having to publicly fire him.

Several staffers at various government departments contacted by the BBC - but who wished to remain anonymous - have told me similar versions of the theories, although none wanted to be quoted or provide evidence.

While this is little more than rumour at the moment, it would be a politically-savvy move from an administration that has sought to portray itself as a more disciplined, cohesive one than what we saw during Trump 1.0.

This cabinet, after all, are his picks, rather than those thrust upon him. Democrats are already using the reshuffling to point to chaos in the administration, and publicly firing Waltz over any perceived infraction or disagreement would have added fuel to the fire.

Another possibility is that - even if he does get confirmed - having Waltz at the UN puts him in a position that is ultimately less influential to day-to-day policy than being national security adviser.

This city is one in which rumours spread quickly, however, and for now this is all speculation.

Image source, Getty Images

We just heard from Trump's former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who describes the day's events as "chaos" reminiscent of the president's first term.

"This is highly unusual," Bolton told the BBC, commenting on Waltz's proposed move from national security to the UN. "It's not a normal line of progression."

Bolton was the longest serving national security adviser under Trump, resigning after less than two years in 2018.

He said the disarray of that first term is “seeping into the second term right after the first 100 days”.

Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, whose name is being thrown around as a possible replacement for Waltz in the long term, also "knows nothing" about major policy issues, Bolton added.

Democrats and Republicans are, naturally, divided over news of this reshuffle in the administration.

Republican Congressman Brian Mast says "there is no one in Washington the unaccountable UN bureaucrats fear more than Mike Waltz. He will fight to put America First every single day at the UN".

However, Democratic Rep Brad Schneider from Illinois is concerned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will have too much to juggle as he takes on the additional role of national security adviser.

He adds: "The job of the National Security Adviser is more than a full-time job. The same is true for Secretary of State. The President is not taking our national security seriously."

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

It's important to note that the UN ambassador position that Trump says he'll nominate Mike Waltz for will require confirmation by the US Senate.

Senate confirmation hearings are sometimes long, gruelling affairs intended to thoroughly vet candidates nominated to high-ranking positions.

They often dredge up professional missteps or even pry into the personal lives of nominees (Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was among Trump's cabinet picks to come under intense scrutiny earlier this year).

Similarly, Waltz will have to go through a hearing and be questioned by a committee of senators before they vote on whether to confirm him.

“Signalgate will now be a major part of Mike Waltz confirmation process,” Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton told the BBC.

About a month ago, Trump pulled the nomination of New York Rep Elise Stefanik to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

Mike Waltz has responded after President Trump confirmed he would no longer be US national security adviser, and instead be nominated for UN ambassador.

"I’m deeply honoured to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation," he said on social media.

He posted the short statement on X, alongside a screenshot of the announcement by Trump.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce just found out about Mike Waltz's job change at the same time as the rest of us.

At a press conference where she's been speaking, a reporter read out Trump's Truth Social post. Bruce didn't have much to add.

"I just heard this from you," she says, calling it an "exciting moment".

The journalist went on to ask how long Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be handling Waltz's old duties as national security adviser on top of his own.

Bruce says she didn't know, but that she was confident it would work out.

“This is a man who has worn several hats since day one," she says. "The president makes perfect assessments on who will implement his agenda."

President Trump has just announced that Mike Waltz will no longer be his national security adviser and will be nominated to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

Here's his statement in full:

US President Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social, announcing that he will nominate Waltz to be "the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations".

Continuing his post, Trump adds that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also serve as national security adviser in the meantime.

It comes hours after reports said he was stepping down from the role as national security adviser.

Laura Blasey
US reporter

Signalgate, the Trump administration's first so-called scandal did not result from a sophisticated hacking or espionage, but rather a series of mishaps.

Sources told the BBC's US partner CBS News and the Guardian that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was trying to add a top spokesman to the Signal chat when he inadvertently added Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a sensitive group where top officials were discussing plans to strike Yemen.

Investigators reportedly found that Goldberg's number had been accidentally saved in Waltz's phone as an alternative contact for national security spokesman Brian Hughes.

When Waltz went to assemble the Signal group chat in March 2025, Waltz believed he was adding Hughes, the sources said. But it was actually Goldberg's number added to the conversation.

Waltz told Fox News last month that another, unnamed contact of his was supposed to be in the chat in Goldberg's place and that "100% I don't know this guy".

Goldberg has previously refuted that explanation, and has said the two have met several times.

In the aftermath of the Signal revelations, Waltz took responsibility. "I built the group," Waltz told Fox News, adding it was "embarrassing".

• Read our full report here: Top US official meant to add spokesman to Houthi Signal chat - reports

We can bring you comments as more leading Democrats react to Waltz's reported departure.

"Trump is ousting his National Security Advisor Mike Waltz," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a post on BlueSky.

"Next up? The woefully unqualified Secretary of Defense must resign or be fired immediately."

Since The Atlantic broke the Signal group chat story, Democrats have been calling for senior officials who were part of the group chat to leave their jobs over the security breach.

Image source, EPA

"Pete Hegseth shows real leadership by passing the blame to Mike Waltz," Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said on X following the news of Waltz's exit.

There has been recent reporting since The Atlantic story that Hegseth also had another Signal chat group that included his wife and brother where he shared information about air strikes against Yemen.

“I think they’re holding the wrong guy accountable," Arizona Senator Mark Kelly told CNN referring to Hegseth.

Image source, Getty Images

Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz has made light of the national security adviser's exit.

He posted on X: "Mike Waltz has left the chat."

The two have history after Waltz during the election campaign accused the governor of exaggerating and lying about his career in the National Guard.

In August, the Harris campaign separately acknowledged that Walz had "misspoke" in 2018 when he said he carried assault weapons "in war".

The Democratic Party on X also couldn't resist having a bit of fun, posting an image of a group chat saying "Donald J. Trump removed Michael Waltz" and another image saying "Michael Waltz was ejected".

We still do not have any official confirmation about Waltz leaving his post. But that hasn't stopped speculations about his replacement in that crucial role.

The job typically goes to individuals with a military, national security, or diplomatic background. But Trump has been known to make unorthodox hiring decisions.

US media reports suggest Steve Witkoff, the real estate developer and Trump ally who is currently a US Special Envoy to the Middle East, as a potential replacement. Though he did not previously have diplomatic experience, Trump appointed him to negotiate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and dispatched him to Russia to serve as his personal envoy to Vladimir Putin.

Another name doing the rounds is also one of Trump’s special envoys, Ric Grenell, who has a longer diplomatic track record. In Trump’s first term, he served as US ambassador to Germany and later acting director of national intelligence, a high-profile national security role. This time around, Trump has sent him to negotiate with Venezuela over the return of migrants who came to America, and bringing back US citizens held in the country.

Image source, Reuters

The prayer meeting at the White House has concluded, with artists singing Amazing Grace and audience members joining them.

We didn't hear anything from President Trump about Mike Waltz. He did not respond to shouted questions from reporters either.

During his speech he mentioned several other administration officials, though.

We will update you if we hear anything further from the president or from official channels at the White House.

Mike Waltz's principal deputy national security adviser Alex Wong avoided questions on the Signal group chat scandal when interviewed by BBC's Newsnight programme on Wednesday.

When asked by host Adam Fleming if the Signal chat including a journalist made America safer, Wong said: "The key point here is that chat you referenced was about opening up freedom of navigation and executing an operation that so far has been very successful..."

When pressed again about the security breach, Wong continued to praise Trump's achievements on the world stage.