The following is the transcript of an interview with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on March 23, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning and welcome to “Face the Nation.” There is a lot to cover on the home front, but we begin first on national security. In just a few hours, U.S. officials will be holding talks with Ukraine, and tomorrow a separate round with Russia, in pursuit of a 30 day cease fire. In the meantime, the Trump administration is ramping up the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, sending a second aircraft carrier to the region. We begin this morning with White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Good to have you here.
WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER MIKE WALTZ: Thanks Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the Iran-backed Houthis, they continue to fire at Israel. What has the last week of bombing achieved? And if you’re holding Iran responsible, what’s next?
MIKE WALTZ: Well, we’ve taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer. We’ve hit their headquarters. We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories, and even some of their over the water drone production facilities. Just in the last couple of days, President Trump has decided to hit the Houthis and hit them hard, as opposed to, in the last administration, where literally weeks or months would go by with these kind of one-off, pinprick attacks. And as a result, we’ve had one of the world’s most critical sea lanes get shut down. I mean, these guys are like al Qaeda or ISIS with advanced cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and some of the most sophisticated air defenses, all provided by Iran, Margaret. Just to- so everybody understands the impact here, the last time one of our destroyers went through the straits there, it was attacked 23 times. 75% of our U.S. flag shipping now has to go around the southern coast of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal. And keeping the sea lanes open, keeping trade and commerce open, is a fundamental aspect of our national security. The last administration was not effective. The Trump administration and President Trump have decided to do something much harder, much tougher and much- and what- you know, we’ll see, but I think will be much more effective.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the president said he’s going to hold Iran responsible as well. Envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview that Iran had responded to this U.S. outreach via multiple channels. In regard to a letter sent by the president, Witkoff described it as an offer to Iran to “create a verification program so [that] nobody worries about weaponization of [your] nuclear material.” Can you clarify? Is the U.S. seeking the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, or verification, like what President Obama put in place back in 2015 and President Trump pulled out of?
MIKE WALTZ: Full dismantlement. Iran has to give up its program in a way that the entire world can see. And this is- look–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Have they said they’re interested?
MIKE WALTZ: –as President- as President Trump has said, this is coming to a head. All options are on the table, and it is time for Iran to walk away completely from its desire to have a nuclear- nuclear weapon. That- and they will not, and cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapons program.
(BEGIN CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Have they responded —
MIKE WALTZ: That’s enrichment–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –to the president’s call for peace talks?
(END CROSSTALK)
MIKE WALTZ: That is weaponization, and that its- its strategic missile program. Can you only imagine? We’ve seen the death and destruction that they’re doing through its proxies, between Hezbollah, the Assad regime, the Houthis, and what have you. If they had nuclear weapons, the entire Middle East would explode in an arms race. That is completely unacceptable to our national security. I won’t get into what the back and forth has been, but Iran is in the worst place it has been, from its own national security, since 1979, thanks to Hezbollah, Hamas, the Assad regime, and its own air defenses being taken out by the Israelis.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So there’s still a chance for diplomacy? I know you won’t get into- okay.
MIKE WALTZ: Well, of course, I mean, the President has all options on the table. But we want to be clear, this isn’t some kind of, you know, kind of tit for tat that we had under the Obama administration, or Biden. This is the full program. Give it up, or there will be consequences.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you closer to home, what has been happening here with Tren de Aragua, TdA, we’re going to call them, which have been designated by the Trump administration as terrorists. Last Saturday, 238 Venezuelan men were handed over to the government of El Salvador. 137 of them were deported using this rarely used, 1789 Alien Enemies Act. This is important because it gives the power to detain and deport without a court hearing first, if they come from countries at war with the U.S. In the hearing on Friday, it was revealed that El Salvador, where they’re being held, rejected two of the people: one on the basis of gender, because it was a woman and they can’t be held at a maximum security prison. The other because the person wasn’t even Venezuelan at all. How does that kind of high consequence mistake happen?
MIKE WALTZ: Well, these kind of one-offs we’ll deal with on an individual basis, but Margaret, the underlying issue here is twofold–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So there was a mistake that you acknowledge, here?
MIKE WALTZ: I can’t speak to those individual cases and the details of the individual cases, but what I can speak to is, President Trump has determined that this- this group is acting as a terrorist organization. It is terrorizing our communities through attacks, torture, rape, and the most awful of situations for those communities, number one, and number two, the Alien and Sedition Act fully applies, because we have also determined that this group is acting as a proxy of the Maduro regime. So–
MARGARET BRENNAN: You have- I’m sorry, just to clarify on that. This is supposed to apply if the U.S. is at war with a country. You are saying you have evidence–
MIKE WALTZ: We are saying–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –that the government of Venezuela is directing these gangs?
MIKE WALTZ: –we are saying- we are saying that TdA is acting as a proxy of the Maduro regime. This is how the Alien and Sedition Act applies, and we cannot have district judges interfering with the Commander in Chief’s actions to take care of, in the way he deems necessary, a terrorist organization.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the U.S. is at war with Venezuela?
MIKE WALTZ: And I gotta tell you, we can- we can debate on Article Two, Article Three. That’s a fair debate. However, in this case, the Commander in Chief, President Trump, is taking decisive action to rid our communities of these gangs that are operating in a paramilitary fash- fashion, and that we know Maduro is deliberately emptying his prisons in a proxy manner to- to influence and attack the United States.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That’s different. That’s so different.
MIKE WALTZ: But that’s how–
MARGARET BRENNAN: That- the U.S. is not at war with the country of Venezuela. I know the Attorney General said on another network–
MIKE WALTZ: Look, this is not–
MARGARET BRENNAN: She- she thinks this is going to go to the Supreme Court.
MIKE WALTZ: Sure, that’s fine, but–
MARGARET BRENNAN: You want to have this fight.
MIKE WALTZ: No, but Margaret, we have instances where the IRGC from Iran have operated to- by with and through Mexican cartels, to then bomb facilities here in the United States. We’ve taken decisive action in that regard. We’re going to take decisive action in this regard, and we’re making a Washington D.C. distinction. When the American people are tired of being terrorized by these gangs. So–
(BEGIN CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: No one is defending gangs, but the concern–
MIKE WALTZ: Well, but it sounds like it. It certainly sounds like it from the Democrats–
MARGARET BRENNAN: There is concern–
MIKE WALTZ: –on the other side. It sounds like–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –that this is being carried out in a sloppy way.
MIKE WALTZ: –in the case of this judge that wanted to turn a flight around, full of gang members, that had intelligence packets that had determined what they’re doing–
MARGARET BRENNAN: There was a woman sent to a men’s- man’s prison, and El Salvador said, no.
MIKE WALTZ: I mean, okay, look–
MARGARET BRENNAN: So it’s the question of, if you are suspending the ability to have a day in court–
MIKE WALTZ: –I can’t speak to those individual details, If you want to–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –that you get the list right.
MIKE WALTZ: But, under- right, but under–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right? That you can verify that these people are gang members.
(END CROSSTALK)
MIKE WALTZ: Look, every one of them were here illegally. So first of all, we had every right and every- and should, deport every one of these individuals. If you want–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But they weren’t deported, they were sent to prison.
MIKE WALTZ: –to make a special case for one, that’s fine. But underlying that- underlying that, is the Alien Act that has determined that Commander in Chief has the absolute authority to do this.
(END CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll talk about this more with the Homeland Security Committee Chair, Rand Paul, ahead, I’m sure. I need to get to Ukraine with you, because this is active diplomacy, as we mentioned. The- the Ukrainians accepted this U.S. cease fire without preconditions, according to the announcement. The Russians said, only holding back on energy infrastructure. What’s the goal out of these talks that are about to begin in Saudi Arabia?
MIKE WALTZ: Yeah, well, first we’re- we’re moving closer, and we’re closer to peace than we ever have been. This started with President Trump talking to both leaders back to back. We then- Secretary of State Rubio and I engaged the Russians, engaged the Ukrainians at our level, and now we have technical teams actually with Ukrainians and Russians in the same facility, conducting proximity talks. And the progression will be, we have this cease fire on- on aerial infrastructure. That went in place immediately after President Trump’s call with President Putin this week. We are now going to talk about a Black Sea maritime cease fire so that both sides can move grain, fuel, and start conducting trade again in the Black Sea. And then we’ll talk the line of control, which is the actual front lines, and that gets into the details of verification mechanisms, peace keeping, you know, freezing the lines where they are. And then, of course, the broader and permanent peace, which will be some type of discussion of territory for permanent peace, and- and a lasting peace, you know, what the Ukrainians tend to talk about, or- or have talked about, as security guarantees.
MARGARET BRENNAN: One of the things the president has said he wants to see is the return of these Ukrainian children who were abducted as part of a state program by Russia to russify them, take them from their families and move them into Russia. Why did the State Department cut off funding to one of the programs that helps find these kids? It’s a Yale University Program, and they said the- the money was cut off. There are senators, including Grassley and Tillis, who- who want to know, why? Do you know why?
MIKE WALTZ: Well, Secretary Rubio is conducting a review of all of those programs. I can’t speak to that specific one, but I can say–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because it seems at odds with–
MIKE WALTZ: –that President Trump has spoken to both leaders about prisoner exchanges. Both the Russians and Ukrainians exchanged prisoners, nearly 200, immediately following their call. And he’s also talked about the future of these children. So that’s certainly, first and foremost, and, kind of, confidence building measures. But again, Margaret, we have to take a step back. We have to take a step back. Just a few months ago, no one was talking about how this war would end. And we have to ask ourselves, what would it look like a year from now, two years from now, three years from now? We were in an endless stalemate here, and now we have both sides in the same facility with the United States really living out, I think, in real time, President Trump’s vision to end this war, which he campaigned on.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Just to be clear, are you asking for the release of these children as a confidence building measure? Is that what you meant?
MIKE WALTZ: We’re talking through a number of confidence building measures. That’s one of them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Thank you, Mike Waltz.
MIKE WALTZ: Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: “Face the Nation” should be back in a minute. Stay with us.
