US president Donald Trump has tapped US army Lt Gen HR McMaster as his new national security adviser.

Mr Trump announced the pick on Monday at his Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago.

He says Mr McMaster is “a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience”.

Mr Trump says retired lieutenant general Keith Kellogg, who had been his acting adviser, will now serve as the National Security Council chief of staff.

Mr Trump had been looking for a replacement for retired general Michael Flynn, who was ousted from the national security adviser position last week.

Mr Flynn was dismissed following revelations that he falsely represented to US vice-president Mike Pence the details of a phone call he had with the Russian ambassador to the US before Mr Trump’s inauguration.

Mr Trump also said he would be asking John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, to work with them in a “somewhat different capacity”.

Four options

He made the announcement from a luxurious living room, sitting on a settee between Mr McMaster and Lt Gen Kellogg.

Mr Trump brought four options for the position to Mar-a-Lago over the weekend for in-person interviews.

Mr McMaster called the appointment a “privilege”. The president told reporters as he exited the room that vice president Mike Pence had been involved in the process. The position of national security adviser does not require senate confirmation.

Mr Trump pushed out Mr Flynn a week ago after revelations that the adviser had misled Mr Pence about discussing sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the US during the presidential transition.

The president said in a news conference on Thursday that he was disappointed by how Mr Flynn had treated Mr Pence, but did not believe Mr Flynn had done anything wrong by having the conversations.

Mr Trump’s first choice to replace Mr Flynn, retired vice admiral Robert Harward, turned down the offer.