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Profile: Tough, an extensive knowledge of terrorism and trusted by Trump: Michael Waltz will help define the future of the world that U.S. enemies should fear

The war veteran's nomination sends shivers down the spines of those who have taken advantage of America's weakness to do harm. A staunch foe of China, Iran and the Venezuelan regime, Waltz will have great influence on the president’s decisions.

Michael Waltz en la Convención Nacional Republicana del 2024.

Waltz at the 2024 RNCAFP

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4 minutes read

One of the officials who is going to help Donald Trump determine both his foreign and domestic policy is his national security advisor. He is not a cabinet member, but a person who is in the president's ear and may even have more influence over decisions than some secretaries. In Trump's case, this role will be filled by war veteran and congressman Michael Waltz.

Shortly after winning the presidency, on Nov. 12, Trump announced that Waltz would be his man. It was one of his top appointments. Because it is a position that does not require Senate confirmation, Waltz has been the national security advisor since Jan. 20, when Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Some names that in the past have assumed the position are that of Condoleezza Rice, with George W. Bush; and Colin Powell, with Ronald Reagan.

Now, Waltz will participate in all National Security Council meetings, but in addition he will be able to be in the meetings between the secretary of state, now Marco Rubio, and the secretary of defense, now Pete Hegseth.

Considering Waltz's importance and influence, it begs the question: what to expect? Here is some relevant information about the veteran that might help answer the question.

Who is Michael Waltz?

Waltz, from Boynton Beach, Fla., and raised in Jacksonville, was not trained in the classroom or on Capitol Hill, but on the battlefield. For his combat in Afghanistan and Africa, he received a Bronze Star. He then joined the Pentagon, where he became an advisor to Donald Rumsfeld, who was George W. Bush's secretary of defense. He also advised Vice President Dick Cheney, particularly on counterterrorism.

In 2018, Waltz became the first former Green Beret to reach the U.S. Congress, being elected to represent Florida's sixth district, which includes the city of Daytona Beach.

Waltz, before entering Congress, may have been much more aligned with Republican Party orthodoxy on foreign policy. However, one in Congress, he has championed a national security doctrine completely aligned with the “America First” will of Donald Trump's movement.

In Congress, Waltz has gained a foothold on the Armed Services, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees. From there, Waltz has taken strong stances against the regimes in China and Iran. Also, he has been a strong voice against NATO allies for, as Trump himself says, not living up to their commitments.

In 2020, after Trump neutralized Iranian terrorist powerhouse Soleimani, Michael Waltz was one of the few Republicans invited to the White House to be briefed by the then-president on the facts and potential consequences. By that time, it was clear that Trump trusted Waltz's acuity and clarity on matters of national security and terrorism.

Fear from the bad guys

Michael Waltz does not have a naive view of the world. When he was appointed, he shook not just Pentagon offices, but capitals around the world, the free and the unfree. If anything, the new national security advisor generates respect and fearprecisely what the new White House foreign policy will be based on: "Let our enemies fear us and our allies respect us," as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

For Michael Waltz, one of the main threats facing the United States is the advancing influence of the Chinese communist regime around the world. For Waltz, China is an enemy of Western values.

The other major threat identified by Waltz is Iran. For the veteran, the Iranian regime is a major destabilizing factor, which finances terrorism and could do great damage to the United States. In this case, Waltz has been one of the strongest voices claiming that Iran has penetrated the continent hand in hand with the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro.

In fact, Waltz, in recent months, has been one of the most vocal officials of the new Trump administration in favor of Venezuela's freedom. In 2022 and 2023, Waltz questioned the appeasement policy Biden had with the Maduro regime, in addition to the decision to buy oil from Venezuela.

In March 2024, Waltz denounced that the Iranian regime’s plots to assassinate Donald Trump, and that it was using its relations with Venezuela to move terrorists around the continent.

But it's not just authoritarian regimes that might fear Waltz. The former congressman has also joined those who have long called for the drug cartels to be designated as international terrorist groups, just as Trump did on his first day in office. In that sense, Waltz has argued that, if necessary, the United States should use military force against drug traffickers inside Mexico, as their operations have serious implications for U.S. national security.

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