National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-05-03T12:08:15Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps removal of national security adviser Mike Waltz brings further disruption to a national security team that has already endured scrutiny over using the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive military operations as well as mounting questions over the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the firing of the four-star general who led the National Security Agency.The staff shake-up comes as the administration confronts foreign policy issues that include Irans rapidly advancing nuclear ambitions, a trade fight with China and conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine that have defied easy resolutions despite Trumps initial confidence that he could settle both wars quickly.But Waltzs departure also presents an opportunity for Trump to consolidate foreign policy in just a few hands, with the Republican president asserting even more power over decision-making and relying on a select group of people who have entirely embraced his America First agenda. Those influential voices include special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who on Thursday was named to replace Waltz on an acting basis while Waltz was nominated as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.I would think he has just about what he wants in terms of consolidated power, said William Banks, founding director of what is now called the Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law. There arent many outliers. Gaining Trumps confidence or losing itRubio may once have seemed an unlikely choice for such prominent positions given that the onetime Trump rival and hawkish conservative was derided by Trump as Little Marco during the 2016 presidential campaign. But since then, the former Florida senator has proved adept at aligning himself with Trumps foreign policy positions, presiding over a massive overhaul of the State Department while steering clear of some of the pitfalls that other national security leaders have encountered.Waltz, for instance, faced intense criticism in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an encrypted messaging app that was used to discuss planning for an airstrike against Houthi militants in Yemen. He also was considered to be part of a neoconservative wing of the Republican Party that had supported the war in Iraq and other U.S. military interventions abroad, including in Syria and Libya, that have now found disfavor in todays GOP. The former Florida congressman has advocated for further diplomatically isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump has viewed at moments with admiration. The Pentagon, too, has been a source of tumult, with Hegseth directing firings of top military officers and now ousting his own top civilian advisers in response to leak allegations. There are now multiple vacancies in key positions at a critical time for the military. Other missteps have included a broad edict for the military services to erase images celebrating diversity, leading to the brief removal of online content of prominent figures such as Jackie Robinson and causing a public outcry. Reports of Elon Musk being offering a classified Pentagon briefing on China and Hegseth posting airstrike plans in two Signal chats with dozens of people have spurred calls for the defense secretarys firing. But Trump has stood by him.Trumps national security team could be charitably described as a work in progress, said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland and a National Security Council official under both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, citing what he said were concerns about coordination and portfolios.Im not saying that the Trump foreign policy team is doomed. But the lack of coordination, the lack of consistency, the sense of chaotic decision-making isnt just a media myth, Fried said. Trumps approach to foreign policyThe national security adviser post, established in 1953, matters to the functioning of a cohesive government. That official is intended to serve as a hub in coordinating information, soliciting advice among agencies and developing policy recommendations for the president. But the argument for balance in policymaking is unlikely to resonate with Trump. Over the course of his career, he has claimed expert knowledge on everything from Islamic militants to taxes and technology.Heather Conley, a former deputy assistant secretary of state during the George W. Bush administration, said Trump often gives greater weight to advice and recommendations from television and social media than his senior advisers.There is very little role for policy coordination because the president is clearly setting the policy on a daily, hourly basis, Conley said. The NSC didnt immediately respond to messages seeking comment.Even as Trump has elevated Rubio, there are signs that Trump also has welcomed the input of a far-less conventional source: far-right activist Laura Loomer. Last month, she appeared to take credit for Trumps firing of Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh as head of the NSA and the Pentagons Cyber Command after a 33-year career in intelligence and cyber operations. Loomer said she had raised questions to Trump about Haughs ties to retired Gen. Mark Milley, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Trumps first term but later became a critic, and she questioned Haughs loyalty.On Friday, Loomer said she recommended to Trump in a private meeting last month that he remove Waltz from his job.Changes from the first Trump administrationThe Waltz ouster notwithstanding, Trump has tried to project a more ordered administration than during his first term. Those four years were marked by big personnel changes among his national security leadership and bitter disagreements with officials he felt were trying to rein him in or box in his choices.He replaced three national security advisers, and fired an FBI director and secretary of state. He clashed with one defense secretary who resigned after differing with Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and dismissed another who broke with him over using the military during racial justice protests in 2020.The removal of a national security adviser with views not in perfect alignment with his own may help free Trump from some of the constraints he felt from government agencies in his first term. Yet at a moment when Trump is trying to find endgames to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza while trying to negotiate an Iran nuclear deal and waging a global tariff war, leaning on Rubio to serve in both roles may be suboptimal.Appearing Thursday night on Fox News Channels Hannity, Rubio centered his comments on the foreign policy news of the day including the U.S. role in trying to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine rather than on a leadership transition that now has him juggling two major positions.The fact that Rubio has multiple titles may mean that his stock is rising, but not necessarily, Fried said. And thats part of the problem. If its not clear who is in charge and its not clear where you go to get answers, thats not a recipe for leverage. Its a recipe for uncertainty and paralysis._____Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, Stephany Matat in Tallahassee, Florida, and Tara Copp, Matthew Lee and Zeke Miller contributed to this report. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto