President Trump said Monday he knew nothing of a report by a journalist for The Atlantic who says he was swept up in a text message chain with defense and national security officials while they detailed plans for an attack on Houthi rebels.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, wrote earlier Monday that he was invited to a group chat on Signal in which top officials debated and then discussed details of attacks in Yemen earlier this month. Goldberg said he realized the chat was authentic when the plan came to fruition with those same details.
Trump was asked about the report during an event with Louisiana officials at the White House shortly after it surfaced. The president maintained he was no fan of the publication and said he had no knowledge of the editor being accidentally included in the chain.
“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic; to me it’s a magazine that is going out of business,” Trump said. “I know nothing about it. You’re saying that they had what?”
A reporter responded that Trump officials were using Signal to coordinate on sensitive material and when Trump questioned “having to do with what?” the reporter said, “the Houthis.” Trump replied, “You mean the attack on the Houthis?”
“Well, it couldn’t have been very effective, because the attack was very effective, I can tell you that. I don’t know anything about it. You’re telling me about it for the first time,” Trump added.
Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the National Security Council, confirmed the message chain was authentic after Goldberg’s stunning report on Monday.
“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes said. “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.”
Goldberg, in the article, claimed national security adviser Mike Waltz connected with him on Signal on March 11 and two days later was invited to join a chain called the “Houthi PC small group,” seemingly unaware of his presence.
The White House highlighted Trump’s comments that the strikes on the Houthis were successful when questioned if the president has confidence in Waltz and Hegseth to do their jobs following the report.
“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 Advisor Mike Waltz,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Hill in an emailed statement.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly sent the group details including weapons used, targets, and timing two hours ahead of the attacks, which began on March 15. Others in the group included Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Goldberg included screenshots from the Signal group in his report and said he emailed top officials, including Hegseth, to question if it was a genuine thread and if they knew he was included in the group.
He said that an account in the group labeled “JD Vance” responded to the conversation about strikes, “I think we are making a mistake.” He also said, “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.”
And, following the strikes, an account in the group labeled “Michael Walz” said the operation was an “amazing job” and others congratulated Hegseth for the good work from his team. “A good start,” Ratcliffe replied, according to screenshots.
Updated 3:38 p.m.
