The following is the full transcript of an interview with Rep. Mike Waltz, incoming Trump administration national security adviser, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Jan. 19, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We are joined now by Congressman Mike Waltz. He’s the incoming National Security Advisor to President-elect Donald Trump. Good to have you here.
REP. MIKE WALTZ: Good to be with you. Thanks
MARGARET BRENNAN: I understand just yesterday, you were meeting with the families of some of the hostages being held in Gaza. At least three Americans assessed to still be alive and in captivity. One of them might not be released until phase two, when male soldiers are released and Israeli troops withdraw. Will the Trump team see this through to completion?
REP. WALTZ: Well, remember the terms of the deal that we finally have come to was inherited in many ways, from the Biden administration. So it was actually the Biden negotiators that were at the table, and the- the other side was dealing with them, but kind of looking to us, particularly Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy. And one of the things that we inherited was this framework of women, the elderly and the sick coming out first. The- one of the Americans is an Israeli soldier. He- that means he’ll come out in the second phase, but we will get him out period–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Edan Alexander.
REP. WALTZ: Edan Alexander. And I am convinced, Margaret, that this deal would have never happened had President Trump not been elected.The Trump effect, so to speak, the families believe that they were effusive and their thanks for him and the- in the truth that he put out that put Hamas on notice, that there will be consequences if they don’t let our people go.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There is also obviously the party Israel here–
REP. WALTZ: –Yep–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –that feels some pressure to get this done. One far right member of the Netanyahu government resigned. Another this morning said he will bring down the Netanyahu government if it does not return to fighting in a way that leads Israel to taking over the entire Gaza Strip. Does Mr. Trump support annexation of the West Bank and Gaza?
REP. WALTZ: Well, excuse me, very different things. What we’re talking about here is making sure that Hamas is destroyed as a terrorist organization. Hamas is no different than ISIS or Al Qaeda or any of the worst of the worst that has so brutalized the Middle East over the years. And what we have made clear to Bibi Netanyahu, to his government- and I want the Israeli people to hear me loud and clear. If Hamas reneges on this deal, if Hamas backs out, moves the goal post, what have you we will support Israel in doing what it has to do, number one, and number two, Hamas will never govern Gaza. That is completely unacceptable, because they’ve made their intention clear, which is to destroy Israel and to have future October 7s. So I understand the concern, but at the end of the day, Prime Minister Netanyahu supported this deal. He agreed we needed to get those hostages out, and within the next 24 hours, we will see- we will see three women coming out alive and hugging their families. And had we not entered this, these people would have died, Margaret. I mean these conditions that they were in- by the way, they’ve been held now longer than the hostages in 1979 in the Iranian hostage crisis. They were being brutalized, raped, tortured. It was horrific, but now we’re going to have a Reagan moment. We are going to have President Trump being sworn in as hostages are coming out alive, and that’s something we should all celebrate.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’ve also said, though, that you want to build on this to eventually get peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, normalization.
REP. WALTZ: That’s right.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The price of that is recognition of a Palestinian state, according to Saudi Arabia. Does Mr. Trump support a two-state solution? Hamas doesn’t want two states. The far right in Israel doesn’t want two states. Does Mr. Trump?
REP. WALTZ: Well, President Trump’s plan and his first term, his plan for the Middle East and his plan for Israel and Palestine had a pathway to a two-state with all kinds of very important qualifiers that had to be in place beforehand. Stop radicalizing the next generation of Palestinian youth. Very specifics- components of that plan in terms of how things would be divided up, but I do think we can get to the next round of the Abraham accords. We- I do think we can expand it, and that will be between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which will be tremendous. That has been a main goal of the Netanyahu government now for years. And Margaret, I can tell you, for President Trump, if in a short amount of time, if we’re talking about infrastructure projects, ports, rails, fiber, data center, if we’re talking about all of those things, these historic animosities will become smaller and smaller and smaller, and that is the piece that he seeks, and that only he can lead.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, Mr. Huckabee, the possible future ambassador to Israel, is wrong when he says that Mr. Trump does not believe in a two state solution in the future?
REP. WALTZ: Well, I’ve spoken–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — he said that yesterday on Fox News–
REP. WALTZ: — yeah, no, I’ve spoken to him, and it’s- it’s how do we eventually get there, right? And what we eventually want is the Abraham Accords and that next round, right? And there is a lot of room. Both can be true. We are going to protect Israel. We are going to make sure that they are defended. But eventually we’re going to come to some accommodation that Saudi Arabia is comfortable in entering into that deal.
MARGARET BRENNAN: To lead to a Palestinian state. That’s what they’re asking–
REP. WALTZ: –well, we’ll see exactly–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –a process–
REP. WALTZ: –what that looks like. That process is going to- is going to be long. And what, you know, what was so interesting about the first administration was that we shifted the dynamics. We brought Israel and the Arab states together because of their mutual concern about Iran and its hegemonic aggression, and what the ayatollahs intend- intended to do. We sat the Palestinian issue aside for a bit–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –Yeah.
REP. WALTZ: And that is what I think the framework we’ll get back to.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There’s a lot to get to. So I want to ask you what we should expect in terms of executive actions in these early days from Mr. Trump?
REP. WALTZ: Oh, well, look, we’re going to have his campaign promises that he promised to the American people right out there on the table, in terms of border, in terms of energy, in terms of taking on this kind of DEI woke culture that has infected so many parts of our federal government, including our military. Returning us to a meritocracy. He’s got a lot in front of them. I’m excited to be a part of it. I can’t emphasize enough though, Margaret, on the border, the American people gave him a clear mandate. Lock down our border, deport the worst of the worst, take on the cartels. We cannot have a situation where we have paramilitary gangs that are shooting down aircraft with heavy weapons, controlling 30% of our neighbor, Mexico, and controlling whole swaths of our border.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re talking about perhaps an executive order designating cartels as a terrorist group? Or designating in some way–
REP. WALTZ: — I don’t want to get ahead of the announcements, but we have to- we have to deal with them with what they are–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –okay.
REP. WALTZ: These are- these are paramilitary organizations with billions at their disposal, with armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, that are fighting the Mexican army. Not police, army, to a standstill. President Trump was clear on the campaign trail that we’re going to take them on and then we’re going to use every resource that we need to defend the American people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We are seeing in our polling that there is a lot of approval for the president elect’s plan to deport immigrants who are here illegally. But understanding how that works is something I want to ask you. Can you tell us anything about the scope and scale of the roundups that we should expect in these first few days?
REP. WALTZ: Well, I think they’re going to be- they’re going to be quite aggressive. Number one. Number two, they’re going to go after these criminal gangs that are terrorizing our cities, particularly MS-13, and particularly Tren De Aragua, our communities are asking for it. Our neighbors are asking for it–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — One of those Tren De Aragua-, excuse me- Tren De Aragua is Venezuelan. You can’t deport to Venezuela. So where are you going to send those?
REP. WALTZ: Well, we’re in a number of conversations with a number of countries that will agree to take them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so that’s a big diplomatic initiative you’re a part of.
REP. WALTZ: That’s right. That’s right.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I have to ask you about China as well. Xi Jinping is sending a Special Representative to the inauguration. That’s highly unusual, not just because of protocol, but because of protocol, but because of the moment in time we are in. Why launch a charm offensive with China at the same time we know that they are embedded in our infrastructure? As you have said, they’ve planted cyber time bombs.
REP. WALTZ: Yeah, yeah. Xi is sending his Vice President. and President Trump does not believe you can get into the types of deals that he wants to get into, whether it is pushing the Chinese to take on fentanyl, to put a death penalty in place for the producers of fentanyl that know that they are killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, whether it’s on trade negotiations, restoring some sense of stability in the Western Pacific and particularly in the South China Sea, unless he has a relationship with the head of state where all the decisions are made–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But as a congressman- as a congressman, you said the US shouldn’t go to the Beijing Olympics because of the genocide that China is carrying out against Muslim minorities.
REP. WALTZ: Well, what I said in particular–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — because of not releasing information about COVID–
REP. WALTZ: — the sponsors, the sponsors that are hypocritically, kind of pounding the table about social justice here at home and at the time, this was 21-22 when that was a huge movement here in the United States. I mean, you had the, you know, you had a number of companies talking about Black Lives Matter, social justice here at home, but then we’re turning a blind eye to the genocide that was going on over there–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — But China is carrying out an attack on the United–
REP. WALTZ: — But you can’t engage in those conversations unless, particularly with a top down authoritarian system like the Chinese Communist Party, unless they have a relationship. And that’s President Trump’s style. He believes he can enter in these deals with that type of- with that type of regime, only by having a relationship. So that’s what he seeks to do.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But- I mean, having a conversation is different than being an honored guest. They are attacking the United States in a massive espionage attack–
REP. WALTZ: — Well it’s not as though he is making-
MARGARET BRENNAN: — We can’t even get them out of the telecom systems–
REP. WALTZ: — He is not making any concessions on anything. It is about establishing a relationship. Xi declined to come personally, so he’s sending his vice president.
MARGARET BRENNAN : Tiktok took itself offline at midnight because of this national security law that you signed on to as- as a congressman which recognizes that TikTok, owned by a Chinese firm, Bytedance, is a national security threat. But on this notice, it says Donald Trump has promised to work with them. If Mr. Trump issues an executive order that bypasses a national security law. Isn’t this a risk? How are you going to prevent China from doing what you say they’re doing already, which is siphoning up and spying on Americans?
REP. WALTZ: Well look, I would- I would even point to the author of the law, former representative, Mike Gallagher, who has put out, you know, his goal was never to eliminate TikTok. It was to allow Americans to use it, but then to make it safe from Chinese communists.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It was to have an American owner.
REP. WALTZ: Well, right. So what we need between now and Monday is to buy the president some time to evaluate those deals. And if it goes dark, that’s going to be, obviously, extremely problematic. So both can be true. We can have an app that Americans can- Americans can enjoy, but at the same time that protects their data and protects them from outside influence and undue influence. And that’s the time and space that the President is seeking. And as a deal maker, I think we all should be confident that he can craft that kind of a deal.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Have Tiktok and ByteDance told you that they’re actually interested in selling?
REP. WALTZ: Well, the President worked with- spoke with President Xi. Again, very top down authoritarian system that–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — You think he is the ultimate decider?–
REP. WALTZ: — and they- and they- and they agreed to work together on this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So President Xi is acknowledging that he has control of ByteDance and Tiktok?
REP. WALTZ: Not explicitly, but I’ll tell you every company in China has, in some way or some form, has to report to, or has a member of the Chinese Communist Party on its board.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And must share information at the request of the Chinese Communist Party?
REP. WALTZ: Well, that was the concern of a lot, right–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Exactly. And Tom Cotton is saying that. Just now- the Republican leader on the Intelligence Committee–
REP. WALTZ: — Sure, sure. And again, you know the- the author of the law is saying both can be true. We can have an app that protects Americans. And I could tell you, I wouldn’t want the FBI or the US government monitoring every keystroke or seeing every password, nor would we want the Chinese Communist Party. But we also want an app that 170 million Americans clearly really enjoy and that we were able to get our message out during the Trump campaign in a very powerful way.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you believe that an American owner will emerge and a deal will be done within 90 days?
REP. WALTZ: I don’t want your head of President Trump on the deal, but he is definitely wanting to have the time right now, which would mean an extension to evaluate the deals that are on the table.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, the head of- the Republican head of the Intelligence Committee says the law wouldn’t allow for that, because you need to show that there is significant progress–
REP. WALTZ: — No actually, the law says if there’s a viable deal on the table–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Right. Exactly.–
REP. WALTZ: — Right, and I know–
MARGARET BRENNAN: — You’re saying there is a viable deal? —
REP. WALTZ: — I know of at least one from Kevin O’Leary, that’s been delivered to ByteDance that the- the point is, what is a viable deal?–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Exactly.
REP. WALTZ: The president needs the time with the Department of Justice to evaluate what viable means. We can’t do that if the thing is completely dark very.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Very quickly, before I let you go, you told us, as I said, China put cyber time bombs throughout U.S. infrastructure and the U.S. needs to go on offense, to impose higher consequences. Are you going to keep the Biden sanctions related to Salt Typhoon in place? Do they go far enough? Do you have an idea of where you want to go next? ,
REP. WALTZ: Yeah, we’re going to, I mean, we need to get our people in place. We need to get Hegseth in as secretary of defense. We need to get Rubio in as secretary of state–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –That could take- Rubio will be quick. Hegseth could take sometime.
REP. WALTZ: Yeah, I think by the end of next week, Pete Hegseth is going to be just fine. So and we need to get John Ratcliffe in place, and we’ll come together. My job is to pull the interagency together, tee up options for the President, help him make a decision and then execute. I can just tell you, from my own perspective, as a broader framework, we cannot play perfect defense. We are under a tsunami of cyber attacks, and we just keep trying to defend better. Let’s take a hard look at unleashing our private sector and those capabilities. Let’s take a hard look at trying to change behaviors in the first place, and that will mean a better, stronger, more capable offensive capability. So that any adversary, if they believe they can destroy our grid, destroy our water supply, destroy our pipelines, if they know we can do the same, then hopefully that prevents it from ever happening in the first place.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Trump’s envoy to Ukraine has set a 100 day timeline for trying to get an end to this war in place. Is there a blueprint? Will Mr. Trump go to Kyiv? When will he meet with Vladimir Putin?
REP. WALTZ: I’m not going to get ahead of all of those things, but I’ll tell you the key- the key pieces of it. Number one, who do we get to the table? Number two, how do we drive them to the table? And then three, what are the frameworks of a deal? President Trump is clear, this war has to stop. Everyone, I think, should be on board with that. And in fact, Zelenskyy even is walking into the room now saying, we’re ready to work with you, President Trump, to stop this war. It is a killing field, Margaret. This is World War One trench warfare with literally a meat grinder of people running across these open fields in eastern Ukraine. But with World War Three escalation consequences. And it’s expanding, with North Korea now sending in tens of thousands, South Korea very upset and talking about getting involved in some way. We- you know, this conflict needs to end, and President Trump has been very clear about that and is determined to do it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I noticed, though, that Mr. Hegseth didn’t mention Ukraine once during his opening statement–
REP. WALTZ: I think he was responding more to a whole slew of personal attacks about his character and behavior, which I think speaks to the Democrats and the types of questions they were asking. They didn’t ask about from his perspective as Defense Secretary on that–
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well in prepared remarks–
REP. WALTZ: –on cyber, on submarine industrial base, on China’s military building–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you agree character and discipline–
REP. WALTZ: Sure–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –and judgment
REP. WALTZ: And I- I–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –is very important to the job?
(END CROSSTALK)
REP. WALTZ:I proudly introduced him as somebody I’ve known–
MARGARET BRENNAN: I know.
REP WALTZ: –for over a decade, number one. Number two, that the soldiers who filled the room deeply respect. As the first junior officer, and I think this is really important, he wasn’t in the headquarters when our policies drifted in the Middle East leading to decades of war. He was on the front lines. You know, the kind of dust on the boots, dirt under the fingernails type of junior officer that was saying, “What the heck are we doing here? Where is this going? How does this end? What does victory look like?” So I shared that experience with him, was proud to introduce him. And the point I made to the Senate was they have hearing after hearing- I do, too, in the House as a member of the Armed Services Committee, complaining about retention, readiness, industrial based problems, things that cost too much, take too long, deliver half as much as- as promised. And yet, some people are opposed to a disrupter, to a change agent. I’m glad he doesn’t have a defense contractor background. I’m glad he wasn’t a former general, because that hasn’t worked. Enough is enough. It’s time for change.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Will you keep U.S.- the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria to push back against ISIS?
REP. WALTZ: I’m not going to get ahead of, I’m not going to get ahead of the President’s decisions. We’re not in yet. But the President–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But that’s on the table?
REP. WALTZ: Well, he cleaned up ISIS in the first term. When it was–
MARGARET BRENNAN: He wanted to pull those troops out in the first term.
REP. WALTZ: It was a caliphate, but we also destroyed I- this is a president who eliminated Baghdadi, eliminated Soleimani, destroyed the ISIS caliphate, has it contained. I think a valid question is, if the first attacks from ISIS hit Europe, should the Europeans be there in a much stronger way–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Other than the French and Brits who are already supporting (them?)
REP. WALTZ: –in terms of- in terms of keeping a lid on those ISIS camps in eastern Syria, and that’s conversations that we’ll have right out the gate.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And Iran. They are closer than ever to nuclear breakout, according to U.S. intelligence assessments. Mr. Trump didn’t get a diplomatic deal in his first term. He also didn’t go to war with Iran. What’s his position? Would he support an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, which would require U.S. assistance and help and weaponry?
REP. WALTZ: Again, not going to get ahead of those decisions. However–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Seems pretty high up on your to-do.
REP. WALTZ: –Iran, Iran is on its back foot thanks to the leadership of BiBi Netanyahu and the Israelis. Hamas decapitated in an amazing covert operation, the pager and walkie talkie operation. Everyone said taking out Hezbollah’s leader Nasrallah would be too escalatory, too provocative, can’t be done. You know what? They did it. And that has now led to a real moment of opportunity in Lebanon. It’s led to the fall of Assad and his brutal dictatorship. It’s led to Hamas being completely isolated. They always thought the cavalry was going to come from the north with Hezbollah. That’s no longer the case, and I think a key reason they’ve now entered into a deal. And Iran’s air defenses are destroyed. So this is a moment to make those key decisions, and we’ll be doing that over the next month.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It’s a consequential moment, and you’ll be on the job starting at noon Monday.
REP. WALTZ: Honor of my life. Thanks so much.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mike Waltz, thank you. We’ll be back in a minute. Stay with us.
