Marco Rubio has served as both Secretary of State and interim National Security Advisor since May 1, 2025, the day President Donald Trump removed Michael Waltz from the White House job. The arrangement makes Rubio the first person to hold the two roles simultaneously since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s, and as of mid-2026 no permanent National Security Advisor has been nominated to succeed him.1NBC News. Trump Marco Rubio National Security Adviser Secretary of State
When Trump named him, Rubio was already carrying two other acting titles: administrator of USAID and archivist at the National Archives. The National Security Advisor slot brought his simultaneous government positions to four.2Council on Foreign Relations. Trump Removes National Security Advisor
How Waltz Lost the Job
Michael Waltz, a former Green Beret and three-term Florida congressman, ran the National Security Council from the start of Trump’s second term until May 1, 2025. His removal followed a run of problems, but the most public one was a Signal messaging incident that became known as “Signalgate.”
In March 2025, Waltz created a Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC small group” to coordinate military strikes in Yemen. The 18-member group included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and other senior officials. Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. On March 15, Hegseth posted operational details, including weapons packages and timing, about two hours before the strikes occurred.3The Atlantic. Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
A Pentagon Inspector General investigation, completed in December 2025, concluded that Hegseth had violated Department of Defense policies on personal-device use and federal recordkeeping, and that sharing nonpublic operational information over Signal “created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots.” Pentagon spokespeople called the report an “exoneration” on the grounds that Hegseth held the authority to declassify the information he shared; the Inspector General’s report explicitly rejected the “total exoneration” characterization.4FactCheck.org. Pentagon Inspector General Report Not ‘Total Exoneration’ for Hegseth A watchdog group, American Oversight, also sued participants for alleged violations of the Federal Records Act, pointing to the chat’s auto-delete settings.5BBC News. What Happened With the Trump Signal Chat
Signal was not the whole story. According to Politico, Trump was unhappy with Waltz’s hawkish stance on Iran, which cut against the president’s preference for a diplomatic opening. Internal accounts described Waltz as struggling to transition from congressman to staffer, with an “imperious manner” that included direct conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside normal channels.6Politico. Mike Waltz Firing and Signalgate History White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had reportedly been unimpressed with Waltz even before the Signal episode, and activist Laura Loomer campaigned publicly for his removal, citing a 2016 campaign ad in which Waltz had criticized Trump.7CNN. Mike Waltz National Security Adviser Departs
Trump announced Waltz’s departure on May 1, 2025, and the same day nominated him as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The Senate confirmed Waltz to the UN post on September 19, 2025, by a 47–43 vote.8Congress.gov. PN343 — Michael G. Waltz Nomination
What the National Security Advisor Actually Does
The National Security Advisor runs the staff of the National Security Council, which was created by the National Security Act of 1947 as the president’s principal forum for coordinating foreign and defense policy. The advisor role itself took shape in 1953 under President Eisenhower and gained prominence under McGeorge Bundy during the Kennedy administration, when it became a direct conduit between the president and the national security agencies.9Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. National Security Act of 1947
Unlike the Secretary of State or Defense, the National Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation. That is why Trump could install Rubio without a vote. The role’s power varies with the president. Under Nixon, Kissinger turned the NSC staff into an active policy engine that often eclipsed the State Department. Under George H.W. Bush, the NSC was reorganized into the formal Principals and Deputies Committee structure that later administrations largely retained.10George W. Bush White House Archives. History of the National Security Council
Trump’s January 2025 presidential memorandum (NSPM-1) reaffirmed the committee structure and gave the advisor broad discretion to set meeting agendas, decide who attends NSC sessions, and stand up Policy Coordination Committees. The advisor chairs the Principals Committee and is charged with presenting Cabinet-level views to the president “with accuracy and fidelity.”11The White House. Organization of the National Security Council and Subcommittees
The Kissinger Precedent and Its Critics
The only prior instance of a Secretary of State simultaneously serving as National Security Advisor is Kissinger, who held both positions from September 1973 to November 1975. That arrangement eventually drew criticism that Kissinger could bias policy decisions in his own favor at levels below the president. President Gerald Ford split the roles and appointed Brent Scowcroft as a separate advisor.12NPR. Marco Rubio State Department National Security
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said the dual arrangement is “ultimately disadvantageous” to the president because the advisor is supposed to work as an “honest broker” among competing departments. When the Secretary of State holds both jobs, Bolton said, that mediating function disappears.12NPR. Marco Rubio State Department National Security Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace called the double-hatting “impossible” in a normal administration. Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute offered a different reading: Rubio’s expanded portfolio has not necessarily translated into greater influence, and he appears to “amplify the President’s inclinations, not to influence them.”13The Hill. Rubio Trump Interim National Security
Administration officials describe the two jobs as “complementary” rather than conflicting. According to Politico, the setup was driven by Trump and Chief of Staff Wiles, who wanted Rubio to take “more fulsome control” of foreign policy and reorient the NSC around the president’s priorities.14Politico. Marco Rubio to Serve as Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor
What Rubio Has Changed at the NSC
One of Rubio’s first acts as interim advisor was a sweeping cut to NSC staffing. On May 23, 2025, the administration announced plans to shrink the council from roughly 350 staff to fewer than 150. Some employees were placed on administrative leave; others on temporary detail were sent back to their home agencies. The number of NSC committees was reduced, and the remaining committees began meeting less often.15Politico. Trump National Security Council Restructuring
Rubio said the previous NSC structure had been “undercutting the State Department” and that the reorganization was meant to shift the council from a “ground up” policy development model, which incorporated a range of viewpoints, to a top-down model oriented around the president’s preferred outcomes.16The New York Times. National Security Council Cuts The NSC’s communications team was folded into the White House press shop during the summer of 2025.
By late 2025, reporting described foreign policy decision-making inside the administration as running through a “small, informal coterie” rather than the traditional NSC bureaucracy. That inner circle included Rubio, Vance, Wiles, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner in an informal capacity. Hegseth participated on military matters. The process was characterized as “ad hoc,” with no fixed hierarchy, which the administration defended as more nimble and less prone to leaks.17Politico. The Small Team Running Trump’s Foreign Policy
Will the Dual Role Become Permanent?
More than a year in, there is still no nominee for a permanent National Security Advisor. Top White House advisers have expressed interest in keeping the arrangement as it is, and three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News there is a “very real possibility” Trump leaves Rubio in both roles long-term.1NBC News. Trump Marco Rubio National Security Adviser Secretary of State For now, the practical answer to who runs American national security day to day is the same person who runs the State Department.