A Signal group chat leak that accidentally included a journalist caused a political firestorm in the Trump White House this week, leading to intense internal debate over whether to remove National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. In the end, President Donald J. Trump chose to retain Waltz, despite growing concerns within the administration and renewed scrutiny of policy disagreements on foreign affairs.
The controversy erupted when Waltz mistakenly added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a secure group chat discussing a potential U.S. military strike in Yemen. The unexpected presence of a prominent journalist in such a sensitive conversation led to immediate outrage and raised serious questions about Waltz’s judgment.
Publicly, Trump defended Waltz, writes The New York Times, calling him a “good man” and condemning media criticism. Privately, however, the president expressed irritation—especially over Waltz’s apparent connection to Goldberg, a journalist Trump has long distrusted. According to sources familiar with the situation, Trump even questioned why Goldberg’s contact information was in Waltz’s phone.
In private meetings, according to the report, Trump consulted with top aides and allies, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and others, to gauge whether firing Waltz was necessary. The president was reportedly concerned about projecting instability so early in his second term and wanted to avoid repeating the rapid staff turnover of his first administration.
By Thursday night, Waltz had been called into the Oval Office. By Friday morning, Trump had decided to keep him in place. This decision came despite lingering doubts among some advisers, who questioned whether Waltz—an Iraq War veteran and former Bush administration official with hawkish views on Iran—aligned with Trump’s “America First” vision. Waltz had previously clashed with key officials like Wiles and Vance over military strategy in the Middle East.
Adding to the tension, an old video surfaced showing Waltz criticizing Trump during the 2016 campaign. The clip renewed concerns about Waltz’s loyalty. Nonetheless, Vice President Vance reaffirmed support for Waltz during a joint appearance in Greenland, saying, “We are standing behind our entire national security team.”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had also participated in the leaked Signal chat and shared sensitive military details, appeared unaffected by the controversy. Trump asserted that Hegseth “had nothing to do with this,” highlighting what some critics have called a double standard.
While some White House staffers feared the incident would lead to a high-profile dismissal, the outcome instead underscored Trump’s crisis playbook from the past: absorb pressure, deny fault, and maintain control.
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