Who is Mike Waltz? What to know about Trump official who added reporter to Signal chat
After a journalist was added in a group chat containing a detailed plan for a U.S. strike on Iran-backed militants in Yemen, top Trump administration officials are under fire for the stunning security breach.
The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported in an article published Monday afternoon he was accidentally added to the Signal chat titled “Houthi PC small group” earlier this month by Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser. Other names in the group chat on the encrypted Signal app matched Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Seemingly unaware the reporter was in the chat, the Trump officials plotted U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthi sites in Yemen that took place March 15. The conversations culminated with Hegseth, hours before the airstrikes, sharing secret plans ‒ including targets and attack sequencing ‒ in the chat, Goldberg reported.
While the White House has acknowledged the authenticity of the Signal chat, it downplayed the significance the significance of the breach, arguing the airstrike operation was executed as planned. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Goldberg of "sensationalist spin," insisting that no "war plans" were discussed.
Hegseth made the same claim to reporters Monday. "Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that," he said.
As the story unfolds, here's what to know about Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Mike Waltz's political career
Waltz, who succeeded Jake Sullivan as national security adviser, is a three-term Republican from St. Augustine Beach, Florida, representing the Daytona Beach area in Congress since 2019.
The national security adviser is a principal foreign policy aide for the president, advising the president on all matters of national security.
Waltz has served on the Armed Services and Intelligence committees in the House and has been a prominent voice of opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the military and its academies, Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the Paste BN Network, previously reported.
Prior to his election, Waltz served as defense policy director in the Pentagon under Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates in the Bush Administration. He also worked in the White House as counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Mike Waltz's military career
Waltz is a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard. After he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, he was commissioned into the Army as a lieutenant, became a Green Beret, part of the Army Special Forces and was deployed several times to combat zones in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan. He was awarded four Bronze Stars, two for valor, Paste BN previously reported.
Waltz also started a defense and intelligence contracting firm, Metis Solutions, which was sold in 2020, netting Waltz between $5 and $25 million, according to his U.S. House financial disclosure.
What did Trump say about Waltz?
Trump defended Waltz and stood by his official over the stunning security breach.
"Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man," the president said in a phone interview Tuesday with NBC News.
Trump told NBC that Goldberg's presence in the chat had "no impact at all" on the military operation.
Trump called the situation "the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one."
When Waltz's appointment to national security adviser was first announced in November, Trump, in a statement emailed to reporters had said: "Mike has been a strong champion of my America First foreign policy agenda and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of peace through strength!"
Where did Waltz grow up?
A Florida native, Waltz was born in Boynton Beach on Jan. 31, 1974, and grew up in Jacksonville to a single mother, Brenda Waltz. He graduated from Stanton College Preparatory School in 1992 and later the Virginia Military Institute in 1996 with honors, according to his congressional biography.
Mike Waltz wife, family
Waltz is married to Julia Nesheiwat, who served as Homeland Security adviser for 11 months during Trump's first term. The two tied the knot in August 2021 and have 3-year-old son Armand. Waltz also has a daughter, Anderson, by a previous marriage.
Nesheiwat previously also worked in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department in the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations. Prior to that, Nesheiwat served in the Army for 8 years as a military intelligence officer in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Bronze Star medal and leaving in 2005 as a captain.
Mike Waltz books
Waltz has authored three books, including:
- "Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan," which came out in 2014.
- "Dawn of the Brave," a children's book that released in 2022
- "Hard Truths: Lead and Think Like a Green Beret," which came out in 2024
Contributing: Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / Tom Vanden Brook, David Jackson, Paste BN
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.