President Donald Trump has made it clear: no one in his administration will be shown the door following an unexpected leak of sensitive military discussions via the encrypted messaging app, Signal.
The controversy erupted after The Atlantic published an exposé detailing what it described as private conversations among top-level officials — including Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — regarding upcoming U.S. military actions against Houthi forces in Yemen.
The revelations stemmed from journalist Jeffrey Goldberg reportedly being added — either accidentally or carelessly — to a Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC small group.” The move came from none other than National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, according to the article.
When pressed by NBC News on whether anyone, including Waltz or Hegseth, would face disciplinary action for sharing operational details in a compromised environment, President Trump remained defiant:
I do not fire people because of fake news and witch hunts.Donald Trump
He continued to dismiss the incident as overblown media theatrics, even claiming ignorance of the very tool at the heart of the scandal:
I have no idea what Signal is. I do not care what Signal is.Donald Trump
Despite internal tensions reportedly bubbling beneath the surface, including a push by Vice President Vance to remove Waltz from his post (Politico reports), Trump stood his ground. Sources quoted by the outlet say Trump acknowledged the slip-up but refused to entertain the idea of dismissals.
“Like hell he would give the liberal media and pearl-clutching Democrats a win,” one insider was quoted as saying.
Waltz’s office quickly moved to quash the story. His spokesman, Brian Hughes, labeled the claims as "gossip" and reaffirmed that Waltz still enjoys the president’s full confidence:
“He serves at the pleasure of President Trump.”
In a show of unity — or damage control, depending on one's reading — Waltz joined Vance on a diplomatic visit to Greenland shortly after the report dropped. Vance publicly denied any rift and defended the national security team.
The incident raises broader questions about operational security in a digital era where encrypted apps blur the lines between informal chats and formal deliberations. It also highlights the administration's ongoing struggle to contain internal leaks while maintaining its hallmark combative stance toward the media.
For now, the Signal controversy appears to have been politically neutralized — at least within Trump’s inner circle. But with military operations abroad and a presidential re-election campaign on the horizon, Washington's appetite for scrutiny is unlikely to wane.