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State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce pictured speaking during a briefing at the State Department last month. Alamy Stock Photo
press briefing
Spokesperson caught off-guard by Trump decision to move 'Signalgate' official Mike Waltz
“I think it’s clear that I just heard that from you,” spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a reporter when asked about the major change during a press briefing.
LAST UPDATE | 2 May 2025
THE UNITED STATES’ State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce appeared surprised when a reporter yesterday informed her of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet shakeup.
“I think it’s clear that I just heard that from you,” she told a reporter when asked about the major change during a press briefing.
Yesterday, Trump announced that Mike Waltz of Signalgate notoriety would be leaving his role as the US’ National Security Advisor and instead become the country’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Further, he announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be serving as National Security Advisor in the interim.
Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to share the news with the world – only it appeared he had skipped over telling senior members of his White House staff beforehand.
Following the revelation during the briefing, Bruce said, “I have some insights to the potential of certain things that might happen, but when the president – and this is all of course presidential decisions, right, so I’m with the state department, and I think it would be clear to all of you, you don’t want to get ahead of your skis and drawing conclusions or speculating about what may occur…
“You can have a general sense of what’s possible, and then you see that manifest usually, but I think one thing certainly that I’ve learned is that things don’t happen until the president says they’re going to happen.”
LMAO -- a reporter breaks news during a briefing to State Department spox Tammy Bruce that her boss Marco Rubio is the new national security adviser
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 1, 2025
"I just heard this from you," Bruce says pic.twitter.com/wlQ47shVO1
After checking whether it was Truth Social that the message had been posted to, Bruce said, “The miracle of modern technology and social media,” before continuing to say that it was “exciting” news.
She commended Marco Rubio and said that he would be a good fit for the role.
Asked if she could elaborate on whether she had any insight that this was set to happen, Bruce replied, “No I can’t. But thanks for asking.”
Bruce, like Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, was previously a contributor to Fox News.
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