President Donald Trump stood by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz Tuesday after the aide inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal text conversation concerning a military operation in Yemen.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg — a fierce Trump critic — broke the story Monday, writing he was included in the Signal text chain that included Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Vice President J.D. Vance, among others. Signal is an encrypted phone app.
Earlier this month, the national security officials traded messages regarding a then-upcoming military operation in Yemen against the Houthis, which took place on March 15.
NBC White House correspondent Garrett Haake asked Trump how Goldberg was added to the chat.
“It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there,” the president responded.
The New York Post speculated, “The likeliest explanation for Goldberg being included on the channel was his Signal profile name ‘JG’ — the same initials as US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who often attends National Security Council meetings.”
When asked on Monday about the incident, Hegseth refuted Goldberg’s claims that war plans were discussed.
“Nobody was texting war plans,” Hegseth responded.
HEGSETH: “Nobody was texting war plans & that’s all I have to say about that.” pic.twitter.com/3VtX1zHOXe
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 24, 2025
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated this point in a Tuesday post on X, writing that no war plans were discussed, nor was classified material shared.
“As the National Security Council stated, the White House is looking into how Goldberg’s number was inadvertently added to the thread,” she added.
Do you agree with Trump’s decision to stand behind Mike Waltz?
“Thanks to the strong and decisive leadership of President Trump, and everyone in the group, the Houthi strikes were successful and effective. Terrorists were killed and that’s what matters most to President Trump,” Leavitt wrote.
Jeffrey Goldberg is well-known for his sensationalist spin. Here are the facts about his latest story:
1. No “war plans” were discussed.
2. No classified material was sent to the thread.
3. The White House Counsel’s Office has provided guidance on a number of different…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 25, 2025
She added in another post, “[T]he President continues to have confidence in his national security team, including Mike Waltz. Stories claiming otherwise are driven by anonymous sources who clearly do not speak to the President, and written by reporters who are thirsty for a ‘scoop.’”
As I said yesterday, the President continues to have confidence in his national security team, including Mike Waltz.
Stories claiming otherwise are driven by anonymous sources who clearly do not speak to the President, and written by reporters who are thirsty for a “scoop.” https://t.co/xS8xGXpfJc
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 25, 2025
Trump characterized the whole situation to NBC as “the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one.”
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