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President Donald Trump said he plans to appoint a new national security advisor in about six months and teased that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was among the options considered for the role while addressing reporters on Air Force One Sunday (May 4) night.
“Stephen Miller at the top of the totem pole? I mean, I think he sort of indirectly already has that job… because he has a lot to say about a lot of things,” Trump said via the New York Post. “He’s a very valued person in the administration, Stephen Miller.”
Trump claimed that former national security advisor Mike Waltz didn't resign last week, rather was tapped for an upgraded position as the administration's ambassador to the United Nations.
“I didn’t lose confidence in him,” Trump said via the New York Post. “He’s going to the United Nations for a reason. To me, I think it’s personally, if I had assurance for myself… I’d rather have that job than the other.”
“There was no resignation,” he added.
Waltz and other National Security Council staffers departed from their office last Thursday (May 1) in what served as the most high-profile executive office exists of Trump's second administration. Miller had previously served as a senior advisor for policy and White House director of speechwriting during Trump's first of two non-consecutive presidential terms, which included helping write his 2017 inaugural address.