Trump’s Adviser Owns Up to Yemen Strikes Chat Leak, But the President Shrugs It Off
It’s not every day you hear about a top government official accidentally spilling military secrets to a journalist, but that’s exactly what happened this week in Washington. Michael Waltz, Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, has stepped up to take the fall for what’s being called an “embarrassing” security slip-up. The incident? A leaked Signal chat where senior U.S. officials, including Waltz, were casually discussing plans for airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen—only to realize too late that Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was lurking in the group.
Yes, you read that right. A journalist—known for his sharp critiques of Trump—was mistakenly added to a high-stakes conversation about military operations. And while Waltz is owning the blunder, President Trump himself is brushing it off as no big deal. Let’s unpack this wild story and what it means.
The Leak That Shocked Washington
Picture this: a private group chat on Signal, the encrypted messaging app favored by everyone from journalists to government insiders, buzzing with top Trump administration officials. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—all heavy hitters—were reportedly in the mix, hashing out details of a planned strike on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Targets, weapons, timing—it was all there, laid out in real-time. And then there was Goldberg, an outsider who somehow slipped through the cracks.
Goldberg didn’t just sit quietly either. He went public with the scoop in a bombshell Atlantic piece, revealing not only the strike plans but also some spicy commentary from officials—like Vance griping about “bailing out Europe again” and Hegseth slamming “European freeloading.” The story hit like a thunderclap, exposing what many are calling a jaw-dropping breach of national security.
Waltz, for his part, didn’t dodge the heat. “I take full responsibility,” he said in a Fox News interview on March 25, 2025, admitting it was his mistake that landed Goldberg in the chat. “It’s embarrassing, yes. We’re going to get to the bottom of it,” he added, though he couldn’t explain how Goldberg’s number ended up in his phone in the first place. “I don’t know this guy,” Waltz insisted, before taking a swipe at the journalist, calling him “the bottom scum of journalists” with a “horrible reputation.”
Trump’s Take: “It’s Just a Glitch”
While Waltz was busy eating humble pie, President Trump took a decidedly chill approach. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the whole fiasco, calling it “the only glitch in two months” of his administration. “There was no classified information,” he insisted, pointing out that Signal is widely used across government and media circles. “It can happen,” he added, standing firmly by Waltz and dismissing calls for resignations from Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Trump even turned the tables, going after Goldberg with his trademark flair. “A sleazebag,” he called him, accusing the journalist of stirring up drama to distract from his administration’s successes. For Trump, the Yemen strikes went off without a hitch—mission accomplished—so what’s a little accidental oversharing between friends (and one unexpected guest)?
Fallout and Finger-Pointing
Not everyone’s buying the “no harm, no foul” line. Democrats are up in arms, with some calling for Waltz and Hegseth to step down over what they see as reckless handling of sensitive info. “Sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior,” one senator fumed, arguing that discussing military plans on an unsecure app—let alone with a reporter in the room—puts national security at risk. The fact that Goldberg got a front-row seat to operational details before the March 15 strikes only fuels their outrage.
On the flip side, Trump’s team is doubling down. Hegseth has pushed back hard, accusing Goldberg of “peddling hoaxes” and denying that full-blown “war plans” were shared. Waltz, meanwhile, says the administration’s already tightening up its protocols. “We’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened,” he promised, though he sidestepped questions about why the chat wasn’t on a secure government channel to begin with.
What’s Really at Stake?
This isn’t just a juicy political gossip tidbit—it’s a peek into how the Trump administration operates behind closed doors (or, apparently, not-so-closed apps). Critics say it’s a glaring sign of inexperience or arrogance, with officials treating national security like a casual group text. Supporters, though, see it as a minor hiccup blown out of proportion by a hostile media—Goldberg included.
For now, the White House is moving forward, with Waltz leading a probe into the breach and Trump standing by his man. Whether this “glitch” leaves a lasting mark or fades into the chaos of the news cycle remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure: it’s a reminder that in the digital age, even the most powerful players can hit “send” to the wrong person.
What do you think—should heads roll over this, or is it just another day in Trumpworld? Drop your take below!