Vice President-elect JD Vance, left, takes oath as his wife Usha Vance watches during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)
Vice President JD Vance says Mike Waltz still has the full trust of both himself and President Donald Trump, despite his recent removal as national security adviser. Waltz was nominated Thursday to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Speaking from South Carolina’s Nucor Steel Berkeley plant in an exclusive interview with Special Report, Vance said Waltz’s shift to the UN isn’t a demotion—but a step up.
“I think you could make a good argument that it’s a promotion,” Vance said. “We brought Mike on to lead some serious reforms at the National Security Council, and he’s delivered on that.”
Waltz’s reassignment comes just four months after he left his seat in Congress to join the White House. A former Army Green Beret, Waltz found himself under scrutiny in March after creating a Signal group chat where senior national security officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussed upcoming military strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen.
The issue? Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the group—named “Houthi PC small group”—where Hegseth shared sensitive details about strike timing. Hegseth has insisted the information was not classified, but Democrats strongly disagreed, questioning how such operational details wouldn’t be considered sensitive. The Pentagon’s acting inspector general has since opened an investigation into Hegseth’s use of Signal.
Despite the controversy, Vance was quick to dismiss any suggestion that Waltz was ousted because of the incident—nicknamed “Signalgate” by some in the media.
“That was a nothingburger,” Vance told Fox News anchor Bret Baier. “This isn’t about punishment. The president just believes Mike will be more effective in a different role.”
Vance himself was part of the controversial Signal chat, as were other top officials including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. In the messages, Vance raised concerns that the Yemen strikes were at odds with Trump’s broader foreign policy approach—especially the idea that European allies should take more responsibility for their own defense.
“I’m not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe,” Vance wrote in the chat, also warning that the strikes could cause a spike in oil prices. He said he would ultimately go along with the team’s decision, but argued for delaying the operation to allow for better messaging and economic analysis.
Reflecting on that exchange, Vance told Baier that the chat showed a healthy debate within the national security team.
“That’s what a good team does,” he said. “You don’t just nod along—you have real conversations about what’s best for the country and for implementing the president’s agenda.”
Meanwhile, U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen continue under Operation Rough Rider, which has now been underway for more than 40 days. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), over 800 targets have been hit, killing hundreds of Houthi fighters and several high-ranking officials involved in missile and drone operations.
Vance said Trump remains firm in his goal to protect American shipping lanes from Houthi attacks.
“If you load goods on a ship bound for the U.S., we want to make sure that ship arrives safely—without sailors being killed or the vessel being destroyed,” Vance said. “That’s a national security priority we will pursue forcefully, if necessary.”
This News Originally appeared on www.foxnews.com
