Trump live: Mike Waltz in fresh Signal controversy after ousting from national security adviser role

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage.

Vice President JD Vance suggested that ousted National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who has been tapped as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, actually got a “promotion.”

“He wasn’t let go, he’s being made ambassador to the United Nations—which of course is a Senate-confirmed position—I think you could make a good argument that it’s a promotion,” Vance told Fox News’ Brett Baier Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be stepping in as an interim adviser, while Waltz would move on to the new role, President Donald Trump announced earlier on Thursday.

Please come back tomorrow for more breaking news

“From the first day I set my foot on this beautiful soil, I connected with Alabama,” Trump said.

“And here in Alabama, we believe that the men and women who built this country are heroes, and that America’s destiny is to be the single greatest nation on the face of the earth, and we’re bringing it back at a speed that nobody thought was possible.”

“If you’re here today and think that you’re too young to do something great, let me tell you that you are wrong. You’re not too young. You can have great success at a very young age,” said Trump.

“Young people can do anything. I was 28 when I took my first big gamble to develop a hotel in Midtown … and it worked out incredibly well.”

The president encouraged students to push themselves further, find their limits and find a career they love.

“I rarely see somebody who’s successful that doesn’t love what he or she does. I had a lot of different careers, but I loved real estate so much, and I was very successful in real estate because I loved it.”

The majority of the president’s remarks echoed versions of his rally speeches.

Trump began his comments by thanking various Alabama officials.

He encouraged students not to “waste their youth.”

“Ancient wisdom is being rediscovered in the best and strongest place, coming back for all to see bigger, better and greater than ever, coming back,” he said.

Trump added remarks about his first 100 days in office.

“The people that have rejected the voices of a failed establishment, you saw that in the election, we turned the page of endless wars, crippling debt, open borders, ruinous situation and a lack of respect for our country and for its leaders, but we’re turning them all around, and we’re turning around very fast. We will very quickly make America great again.”

Trump began speaking around 8 p.m. He touted his administration’s recent accomplishments on the military, border crossings and tariffs.

He walked out on stage to cheers of “USA! USA!”

He called his election the “golden age” of America.

This is down from a previous forecast of $11.2 to $12.5 billion.

“I’m not happy with Boeing,” the president said in February, referring to the Air Force One program. “We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something.”

Now, his administration seems to be doing just that.

Here’s Kelly Rissman with the details.

During a tour of Nucor Steel Berkeley in Huger, South Carolina, Vice President JD Vance accidentally shook hands with pool reporter Reese Gorman of NOTUS.

Realizing he was a reporter in a hard hat, not a steelworker, Vance laughs: “Oh, you guys are just reporters. You guys got all the shit on, I couldn’t tell.”