A top Trump official is facing intense backlash after he accidentally invited Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg into a private Signal channel where secret military operations were discussed.
Politico’s Playbook reports that sources inside the White House are placing the blame squarely on national security adviser Mike Waltz for the mistake. The mishap has drawn widespread criticism and is hurting the Trump administration, highlighting a serious lack of competence within its ranks.
“Half of them say he’s never going to survive or shouldn’t survive,” said one official, who, like others, spoke anonymously to discuss internal matters. Two high-level aides have even suggested Waltz should resign to prevent the president from being put in a “bad position.”
“It was reckless not to check who was on the thread. It was reckless to be having that conversation on Signal. You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser,” the official added.
Another source close to the White House was even more blunt, saying, “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a fucking idiot.”
The situation stems from Goldberg’s accidental inclusion in a Signal group chat on March 11. He had received a request to join from a “Mike Waltz,” and soon found himself in a conversation titled “Houthi PC small group,” with what appeared to be other senior officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others.
A third person familiar with the fallout revealed that Trump had spoken with Waltz about the incident, but for now, the White House is standing by him.
“As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective. President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a Monday briefing. She declined to comment further.
However, another official acknowledged the internal pressure on Waltz to take responsibility for his mistake, which could lead to a resignation.
Two of the officials pointed out that while Trump may place blame on Waltz for compromising U.S. national security, he could just as easily direct his frustration at Vice President Vance for stepping out of line with the administration’s foreign policy in the chat, or target Hegseth for allegedly sharing sensitive details with the group.
