President Donald Trump discussed the recent inclusion of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, in a Signal app group chat with White House national security officials. In an interview with Newsmax’s Greg Kelly on March 25, Trump expressed confidence in the resolution of the situation.
The incident involved Goldberg being added to a Signal group discussing an attack on Houthi terrorists in Yemen. Trump explained that an individual associated with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz’s team inadvertently included Goldberg in the chat.
He stated, “Somebody that was with Mike Waltz — worked for Mike Waltz at a lower level — had, I guess, Goldberg’s number or called through the app, and somehow this guy ended up on the call.” Trump emphasized that no classified information was shared and described the attack as a “tremendous success.”
When questioned about the use of secure communication methods, Trump acknowledged a preference for in-person meetings over hard lines stating, “Well, I like hard lines, but the best way is to be in the situation room, or some other room, where you’re all together, where you don’t have — any time you have a line, whether it’s air or whether it’s hard, there’s always a risk that people are listening.”
Trump also criticized Goldberg and The Atlantic, labeling the publication as “failing” and accusing it of fabricating stories about him. He remarked, “Goldberg’s a loser; his magazine’s a big loser.”
The president conveyed trust in Waltz, indicating that the adviser had “learned a lesson” from the incident. This event highlights the challenges of maintaining secure communications within national security operations.
