President-elect Donald Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) to be his national security adviser, according to source familiar with the conversations.
The Green Beret veteran is cut from the same foreign policy cloth as Trump. He is known as a China hawk who has also been skeptical about the amount of aid the United States has supplied for Ukraine and NATO.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Trump for comment.
Waltz is on the House China Task Force, which handles China policy.
While skeptical of some aid to Ukraine, declaring “the era of Ukraine’s blank check from Congress is over,” last year, he has also expressed support for Ukraine and floated escalating the conflict if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t immediately come to the negotiating table.
Waltz also argued that the U.S. should match every dollar in aid to Ukraine with security aid to the southern border with Mexico. His position on the conflict is characterized by simultaneous skepticism toward unlimited aid while criticizing Biden for not doing enough.
The Florida representative is also known for his staunch support of Israel and hawkish stance toward Iran. He previously voiced support for ousting Syrian President Bashar al Assad and supported keeping ground troops in the Middle East.
In an appearance on Fox News years ago, Waltz hit aspects of Trump’s stance on the Middle East, arguing that the U.S. should be more involved in the region.
“We have to fight these wars over there; we have to take care of it abroad in places like Damascus and Tehran and Kabul or it will follow us home,” he said. “This notion that we see on both the Right and the Left that if we just let them take care of it and bring the troops home and the world will be fine, I think, is naive.”
Waltz has argued throughout the war in Gaza that Israel should be allowed to take a more hard-line approach, criticizing the Biden administration’s advocacy for restraint.
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The national security adviser position is an influential but fragile one under Trump; his first administration saw him go through four. His first adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn, held the position for only 24 days.
Jake Sullivan has been President Joe Biden’s national security adviser throughout his administration.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
