(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be the national security adviser in his new administration and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve in the crucial spot as top diplomat for Israel, one of America’s closest allies abroad.
Together, the two will have a sizeable impact in reshaping Trump’s “peace through strength” foreign policy after the Biden administration has presided over a world on fire with major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, alongside a growing threat from China.
“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,” Trump said in a statement about Waltz.
He touted Waltz’s litany of distinguished military accolades and credentials, including 27 years of service in the Army Special Forces as a Green Beret, where he retired as a colonel.
Waltz “was deployed multiple times in combat for which he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with Valor,” he added.
While serving as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Waltz has additionally become “an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism.”
Huckabee, who was a GOP primary rival of Trump’s in his 2016 race, has been a prominent talk-show host on the Christian-oriented Trinity Broadcasting Network.
“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in his statement about Huckabee.
“He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him,” Trump added. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
Huckabee’s daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as Trump’s long-suffering press secretary for nearly half of his first term as president. She is currently following in her father’s footsteps as governor of Arkansas.
Israel has been engaged in a military operation in Gaza for the past year in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist sneak attack by Hamas, which left an estimated 1,200 Israeli residents dead.
Just over 100 of the roughly 250 hostages that Hamas took remain unaccounted for. While some are presumed dead, dozens are still believed to be in captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has generally been regarded as a Trump ally, despite friction between the two leaders following the disputed 2020 election in the U.S. Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Democrat Joe Biden, even with challenges still working their way through the courts.
Trump was reported to have shared some choice words about “Bibi” but later reconciled with him, meeting with Netanyahu earlier this year at his Mar-a-Lago estate in a show of solidarity.
Trump made significant gains in both the Jewish and Muslim vote during the 2024 election due to the civil unrest that the Biden administration’s lack of leadership on the Israeli conflict had helped usher in. Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
