Foreign Policy Hawks are Out at the NSC
Staff have been cut by about 80 percent since January, with interventionists kicked to the curb.
Anthony Constantini
May 30, 2025
_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
President Donald Trump’s second administration began with a relative balance between realists who were somewhat more inclined toward foreign intervention, such as Mike Waltz, and those who were more skeptical of action abroad, like Vice President JD Vance.
But the last month has seen a sudden shift toward non-interventionists, as the hawks have been fired or moved to less-influential positions.
Many of the changes have occurred at the National Security Council (NSC), long seen as the policymaking heart of the executive branch's foreign policy.