President Donald Trump has dismissed the accidental addition of a journalist to a Signal group chat used by senior US officials to discuss military plans as “not a big deal.” The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly included in the chat and subsequently published the messages, revealing sensitive discussions about a strike on Yemen. Despite the White House’s insistence that no classified information was compromised, Trump assured that the incident did not affect the success of the operation.
++ Marvel confirms production of Avengers Doomsday and unveils cast
Trump made his comments during an appearance on The Vince Show podcast, where he downplayed the seriousness of the leak, suggesting it was possibly due to an innocent mistake by a staffer. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz later took responsibility for the error, though he criticised Goldberg, calling him a “loser” who may have manipulated access to the chat. Waltz emphasised that his role was to ensure coordination among officials, taking full accountability for the group chat’s formation.
The leaked messages detailed a timeline of the US military’s planned strike against Houthi targets in Yemen, which took place on 15 March. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had shared these plans with the group, which included figures such as CIA director John Ratcliffe and Vice President JD Vance. The publication of the messages sparked backlash, though the National Security Council confirmed their authenticity. However, the administration downplayed their significance, claiming no vital or classified information had been disclosed.
++ Trump calls for removal of ‘Distorted’ portrait from Colorado state capitol
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Hegseth both issued responses, with Leavitt calling the story a “hoax” aimed at tarnishing the administration. Hegseth reinforced this, stating that the published messages contained no crucial details about the military operation, further criticising Goldberg for misrepresenting the content of the messages. Despite the controversy, the White House maintained that the leak had no bearing on the success of the Yemen strike.
