PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 1st, 2025: Trump Greenlights Weapons For Ukraine In Major Policy Reversal & National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Ousted From White House
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It's Thursday, the 1st of May. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.

First up, with Vladimir Putin continuing to stall efforts to end the war in Ukraine, President Trump is approving the sale of some $50 million of weapons and other defense-related products to Ukraine, the first direct military aid granted by Trump to Kiev since his return to the Oval Office. Later in the show, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, a key member of what some refer to as Signalgate,

because in Washington, D.C., any event that you want to paint as a scandal needs to have the word gate after it, is reportedly out as the national security advisor, but he's in at the U.N. as the new ambassador for the Trump administration.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We'll begin today with a major reversal from President Trump. He's moving to open the tap on military aid to Ukraine as he reportedly loses patience with Vladimir Putin's failure to engage in peace talks.

Late on Wednesday, the Trump administration formally informed Congress of its intention to authorize the sale of $50 million or more of defense-related products to Ukraine through direct commercial sales. The approval of aid, the first from Trump since his return to the Oval Office, signals a major shift in the president's stance towards Kyiv.

suggesting that he's willing to up military pressure on the Putin regime as negotiations with Russia to end the war remain stalled. That's putting it mildly, according to a report from the Kyiv Post. The aid deal, authorized under the Arms Export Control Act, allows the president to control the export of U.S.-made defense articles, technical data, and other services to Ukraine, though officials have not yet specified the types of weapons or defensive services that will be included.

Unlike foreign military sales that are announced publicly and managed between governments, the direct commercial sales approved by Trump on Wednesday allow U.S. defense contractors and foreign buyers to privately negotiate these weapons transactions. An analyst at the Tochni Research Group told the Kyiv Post, "All direct commercial sales deals operate under the radar.

The news here is basically that U.S. arms sales to Ukraine continue, despite everyone predicting that Trump would cut Ukraine off completely." In December, under then-President Joe Biden, Congress had approved over $1 billion worth of arms for Ukraine. But earlier this year, Trump initiated a broad review of all Ukraine-related military assistance as he launched his diplomatic push to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the war, according to a report from Newsweek.

He's previously been highly critical of the roughly $120 billion in U.S. aid given to Ukraine since the war began, but Putin's stubborn behavior appears to have changed Trump's calculus.

The move also comes just weeks after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced his intention to purchase $30-50 billion worth of air defense systems and weapons from the U.S. as a form of security guarantee, though it's unclear if that proposed exchange will move forward.

But the newly approved arms transfer suggests that the Trump administration is willing to continue the flow of weapons to Ukraine, albeit quietly, perhaps in a bid to pressure Putin to take negotiations more seriously. Now, we should underscore that the authorization allows the sale of $50 million or more of defense products, meaning that, effectively, there's no real ceiling to how much aid the administration could ultimately approve.

Defense analysts said the shift from Trump will help the White House retain its strategic influence amid the administration's ongoing efforts to end the war. An analyst at RAND Corporation, of course, a defense and security nonprofit group, told the Keefe Post, "...if U.S. military aid for Ukraine continues, whether through an existing package or a new drawdown authority, it will strengthen U.S. leverage. The Trump administration has repeatedly communicated its desire for a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine."

to achieve its goal will require leverage with both Kyiv and Moscow." So, what else may be behind the major shift on military aid from the Trump administration, you ask?

Well, the reported arms sale came the same day that Kiev and Washington finally inked a long-anticipated economic partnership agreement that will grant the U.S. access to Ukraine's extensive mineral resources in exchange for establishing an investment fund that could help rebuild the war-torn country. We'll have more on that minerals deal and what it means for the future of the war during tomorrow's PDB.

All right, coming up next, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who took heat from the now infamous Signal chat group kerfuffle, is being removed from his current position and reassigned to the UN. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. In the first major shakeup of top aides in President Trump's second term, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, are expected to depart the White House today, potentially, in part, as a result of fallout from the sensitive information leak in the Signal group chat. Waltz, however, isn't being banished from the administration, far from it. He'll be assuming a new role as a UN ambassador.

But the exit from the national security team follows Waltz's admission that he mistakenly added the Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a signal group of administration officials. That chat, as our PDB regular listeners will recall, contains some sensitive details about the 15th of March strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen after a surge in attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Initially, Trump stood by Waltz, telling NBC News in March that the former Green Beret and Florida congressman was "a good man" who had "learned a lesson." Is that standing by him? I'm not really sure. But the support didn't last long. I mean, Washington is a famously fickle place. Sources say Waltz never offered to resign after confirming the authenticity of the leak behind closed doors.

And the president didn't press the issue at the time, though many inside the administration believed his exit was inevitable.

According to two-way co-founder Mark Halperin, who first reported the looming reshuffle, the tide inside the administration turned decisively in recent days, with senior aides losing confidence in Waltz's leadership and judgment, or possibly as senior aides searched for a scapegoat in the classic Washington game of "cover your ass." Shortly after news of the move, Trump announced that Waltz will take on a new role as the UN ambassador.

while he said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as the interim national security advisor. The shift was framed as part of a broader reorganization of the national security apparatus, minimizing the signal incident. The thinking, apparently, is to avoid handing a win to the media and the Democrats.

So far, the administration is playing it close to the chest. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told Fox News, quote, the talent bench in this country and for this government is deep, end quote. Waltz and Wong, which, well, frankly sounds like a comedy duo, have yet to issue any statement regarding their departure from the national security team.

And there's no word yet on who will potentially replace them, though multiple sources say several former Trump officials and current national security staffers are already being vetted. As mentioned, Marco Rubio will temporarily step in and do double duty as both national security advisor and his regular job, his day job, as Secretary of State.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday, the 1st of May. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And, as your mom always said, to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by simply visiting pdbpremium.com. And remember, always listen to your mother.

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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