Trump’s national security team is starting to crack: the release of Waltz and Wong stimulates alarms.
In what can mark the first signs of disarray in the administration of Donald Trump’s second term, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his assistant Alex Wong should leave the White House this week, several confirmed sources at CBS News. Their departure – scheduled for Thursday – goes to a meticulous examination, the internal tensions and the repercussions of a serious violation involving discussions sensitive to national security.
The White House has not yet issued official comments on outings.
A self-inflicted crisis
Departures follow a controversy that broke out in March when Waltz has wrongly added the editor -in -chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a chat wire containing senior national security officials. The thread would have discussed the operational planning of American military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Goldberg, who initially retained the operational details, then published them after the senior defense officials, Pete Hegseth, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA director, John Ratcliffe, denied that classified information has been shared.
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The published equipment included the moment of military strikes and details on weapons systems – a leak that amazed Washington. Waltz later admitted to camera that the report was exact, triggering a fierce debate in the White House to resign. But Waltz stayed, and President Trump got up next door, saying he was “a good man” who had “learned a lesson”.
Now, a few weeks later, Waltz and Wong are quietly preparing to leave – no official resignation letter, no public statements, just the unmistakable stench of a power structure that begins to vacillate.
Wong’s quiet release
The resignation of Alex Wong may not raise so much eyebrow in its own right, but the timing is notable. Wong served in Trump’s first administration in key diplomatic roles, especially as a special assistant representative for North Korea. He played a key role in negotiating the history of Trump – but ultimately not very conclusive – which goes out with Kim Jong one. His deep involvement in the politics of East Asia made him a critical bridge between the White House and regional diplomacy. His departure now signals instability at a time when global tensions – from Taiwan to Ukraine – continue to increase.
More than just a change of staff?
While White House officials can supervise outings as a routine turnover, optics tell another story. It is not a coordinated transition of power or a strategic mixture – it is a disorderly fallout of a national security error, followed by calm outings and a lack of transparency. Sources close to the administration have suggested that internal disagreements and growing pressure on Trump’s foreign policy decisions have exacerbated frustrations among senior executives.
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The fact that the national security team has hemorrhage that talents are only Trump’s second term is a red flag for allies and adversaries. There is also an increasing discomfort in republican circles about the lack of discipline and the apparent return of chaos which characterized a large part of the first administration of Trump.
The start of disentangling?
Critics argue that these departures, in particular following a scandal involving national security leaks, can be the canary of the coal mine. With tensions in Trump’s inner circle, Trump’s long -standing loyalists are starting to lose faith or refuse, the cracks in this administration are starting to show.
President Trump can repel resignations as without consequences, but the loss of two high -level members of the national security team – in particular under a cloud of controversy – subcuits the image of strength and stability that he tried to project.
Only time will tell us if they are isolated departures or the beginning of a wider detangling. But in the current state, the releases of Mike Waltz and Alex Wong are less like a bump on the road and more like the start of a slide in a dysfunction.