President Trump on Tuesday acknowledged a mistake occurred when a journalist was swept up in a text message chain with top administration officials on plans for an attack on Houthi rebels, saying issues can happen with modern technology.
The president was asked if anyone could be fired after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, wrote Monday that he was invited to a group chat on Signal by national security adviser Mike Waltz, in which top officials discussed details of attacks in Yemen.
“We pretty much looked into it, it’s pretty simple to be honest,” Trump said. “It’s just something that can happen, it can happen. You can even prepare for it, it can happen. Sometimes people are hooked in and you don’t know they’re hooked in… it’s not a perfect technology, there is no perfect technology.
“We always want to use the best technology. This was the best technology for the moment,” the president added. “Again, it wasn’t classified so they probably viewed it as being something that wasn’t that important.”
When questioned if Waltz made a mistake, the president defended his national security adviser, who was sitting at the table with him in a meeting with U.S. ambassadors.
“No, I don’t think he should apologize. I think he’s doing his best. It’s equipment and technology that’s not perfect and probably he won’t be using it again,” Trump said and Waltz responded, “yes, sir.”
“I agree with you, let’s get everybody in the room whenever possible,” the national security added.
Waltz also blamed the media for wanting to report on the Goldberg story instead of other accomplishments of the Trump administration.
Trump defended Waltz earlier on Tuesday, saying he “has learned a lesson.”
In the meeting with U.S. ambassadors, Trump said that he doesn’t think Signal will be used anymore but that a situation could arise that you have to use it because you need “speed over gross safety.”
“Sometimes you have to move very quickly and there are other devices that are very good, but they are very, very cumbersome, and you’re not able to use them from a practical standpoint. So, all we can do is find out the best we have with modern technology,” Trump said.
The president leaned into the attack in Yemen being successful and that the information shared in the Signal chat wasn’t classified, saying the situation would be different if it were.
“I always say, you have to learn from every experience. I think it was very unfair the way they attacked Michael. He’s a good person. The person that was on just happens to be a sleazebag so maybe that’s just coincidence, I don’t know,” Trump said, bashing Goldberg.
“I don’t think we should allow people that are very good, like that man sitting right at the end of the table who is doing a good job,” Trump added about Waltz. “We shouldn’t allow them to be hurt by it.”
The president said he will conduct an investigation into what happened, saying the issue wouldn’t be up to the FBI, but instead it is a security issue about whether another form of communication should be looked into instead of Signal. Waltz said that technical experts and legal teams are looking into it.
“If it was up to me, everybody would be sitting in a room together. The room would have solid lead walls, a lead ceiling and lead walls,” Trump said.
“But someone can get onto those things. That’s one of the prices you pay when you’re not sitting in the Situation Room with no phones on, which is always the best, frankly,” he added. “People do get on those lines, whether it’s Signal or anything else.”
Goldberg wrote that Waltz connected with him on Signal on March 11, and two days later he was invited to join a chat called the “Houthi PC small group.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly sent the group details on weapons used, targets and timing two hours ahead of the attacks that began March 15.
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the Trump administration in a hearing on Tuesday for using a Signal group and said Waltz and Hegseth should resign.
The White House tried to downplay the significance of Goldberg being added to the group chat and argued in a post on the social platform X that no classified materials and no “war plans” were discussed in the Signal chat, echoing comments on Monday night from Hegseth.
Goldberg has said war plans were discussed in the chat and said on Tuesday he could be open to sharing more details about what was said in the Signal group.
Trump later said he would ask the military about if it would be a problem if Goldberg released all the information. He also attacked Goldberg multiple times, saying he is “bad for the country” and argued that he left the chat early because he was bored.
