Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN), defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy, including the Iran war, at a Georgetown University event April 14.
Waltz, who previously served as national security advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, argued that U.S. foreign policy is strengthening international security. At the event, hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Politics and Public Service (GU Politics), Waltz praised the efficacy of U.S. foreign engagements, including the Iran war, while encouraging Georgetown students to pursue a career in public service.
Waltz said the Trump administration has aimed to generate international change by demanding results from the UN.
“International government is espoused by how much money and people you’re throwing at the problem,” Waltz said at the event. “We’re saying, ‘Where have the results been?’ and asking those tough questions. I know it’s a lot of tough love.”
Waltz said the United States is looking to put a greater security burden on allies, including in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which Trump has accused of freeloading off the United States.
“Ten years ago, only seven out of 30 NATO nations were contributing,” Waltz said. “Now it’s 30 out 30, and not only are they contributing a minimum, there’s a whole new slew that’s looking to double their defense spending so that we can talk about Ukraine, Russia, the threat from Russia, what have you.”
“But Europe has got to be able to stand up on its own and defend itself, and it’s only been through some — we could be friends and allies and have tough conversations,” Waltz added.
Waltz said Trump has criticized the UN because its growing budget did not proportionately increase global peace.
“Well, he’s been critical, but he’s also said there’s tremendous potential, and my charge from him is to help us realize that potential,” Waltz said. “So just a few statistics to approach: The UN’s budget has quadrupled in the last 25 years. 4x. I don’t think we’ve seen — not double, not triple, quadruple — I don’t think we’ve seen a four-fold increase in peace around the world. In fact, it’s gone the opposite direction, in terms of an increasingly fracturing world.”
Waltz began serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in September 2025. He was nominated for the position in May after he accidentally added a journalist to a sensitive Signal chat in March, prompting him to step down as national security adviser.
In his position, Waltz has advised on and publicly defended the Trump administration’s recent foreign policy, which includes pulling back from European alliances, removing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro before bringing him to the United States under arrest, and launching an attack on Iran.
Focusing on the Iran war at the event, Waltz said the U.S. government wants to prevent an Iranian nuclear program that could lead to widespread proliferation, citing countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
“To take it to the issue of the day that’s been dominating the news, I can say unequivocally that Iran — we’ve seen what they’re doing with missiles and drones — if they had a nuke, you have to keep in mind that Saudi Arabia, probably the UAE, probably Turkey and others would want their own nuclear programs as well,” Waltz said.
The United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran beginning Feb. 28, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran then responded with counterattacks on Qatar and other U.S. allies in the region, including threatening to attack U.S. universities situated in the region March 29, though such strikes never occurred. Both states reached a temporary ceasefire April 7.
Waltz said U.S. intervention in Iran benefits all countries.
“There is no country out there — I said this to the Iranian ambassador: Point to me a country that is better off because of the engagement, the destabilizing terrorism of the Iranian regime,” Waltz said. “They are all worse off.”
During the talk, Waltz addressed some of Trump’s recent controversial comments, including his threats that “a whole civilization will die” without a ceasefire deal in reference to Iran and his post calling Pope Leo XIV “weak” for criticizing the war.
Mo Elleithee, GU Politics’ executive director who moderated the event, said Waltz is key to Trump’s foreign policy and asked him about the comments.
“This public spat between the president and the pope, the comments about ending a civilization, the comments that have offended many people of the Muslim faith — you’re the person that then has to walk into the security council or the general assembly to build the coalitions with many of the countries that are sort of on the receiving end of the president’s comments,” Elleithee said to Waltz at the event.
“You’re at Georgetown, the nation’s oldest Catholic university, rooted in a Jesuit tradition that emphasizes human dignity and interfaith dialogue and service to others,” Elleithee added.
Waltz did not answer Elleithee’s question, saying instead that Muslim-majority Gulf countries — which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — are the United States’ biggest allies at the moment.
“I’m gonna leave individual tweets to the president and the team,” Waltz said. “I can tell you, or you just mentioned offending some of the Muslim faith — our biggest allies right now are the Gulf Arab countries.”
Waltz added that the president’s rhetoric may be warranted to deal with opponents such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba, which he described as “brutal dictatorships.”
“So we have to be real wide-eyed about what we’re dealing with, and you know what, if we have a couple of mean tweets to free those people, so be it,” Waltz said.
Waltz’s tenure at the UN has been marked by a period of change as the administration pledges to withdraw from multiple international agreements.
Alex Brooks (SFS ’27), who attended the event, said Waltz helped explain the United States’ foreign policy withdrawals under the Trump administration.
“It’s interesting talking to a UN diplomat in a time where the U.S. is clearly trying to rewrite the rules-based international order, and has expressed a lot of disdain for the UN and for international institutions,” Brooks told The Hoya. “It has withdrawn from a lot of international agreements.”
Nicole Kim (MSB ’28), another attendee, said Waltz’s perspective on the United Nations was overly critical.
“H was bringing up all these numbers about how the budget has 4x’d, but the amount of peace hasn’t 4x’d, and I thought that was just an interesting way to put it,” Kim told The Hoya. “So I think that stuck with me — if anything, maybe, saddened me a little bit — that that was like the perspective, because I think you can recognize that an organization has pitfalls without framing it in that way.”
Emphasizing the importance of addressing global problems, Waltz said he hopes Georgetown students pursue careers in public service.
“Actually rolling up your sleeves and trying to solve some of these thousand-year-old problems is really noble work,” Waltz said. “You don’t have to do it your entire career, but I would encourage every one of you to find ways to serve.”
