Trump signs commission appointing Rubio as National Security Advisor

President Donald Trump has formally signed the commission appointing Marco Rubio as National Security Advisor, cementing a consolidation of foreign policy power not seen in Washington for half a century. Rubio, who already serves as Secretary of State, now holds both positions simultaneously. The last person to pull off that particular double shift was Henry Kissinger during the Nixon and Ford administrations in the 1970s. How we got here Trump announced the removal of former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on May 1, 2025, tapping Rubio as interim replacement in the same breath. The move represented the first major personnel shake-up in Trump’s second-term national security apparatus. Waltz’s departure followed months of reported friction with the White House, punctuated by a security breach in March 2025. During a group chat discussion about military operations in Yemen, Waltz accidentally added a journalist to the conversation. Waltz wasn’t entirely cast aside, though. Trump nominated him to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations. Rubio, meanwhile, had been building momentum inside the administration since his confirmation as Secretary of State on January 21, 2025. Tha...