In a recent leak of private messages from a group on the Signal app, key members of US President Donald Trump's administration have expressed their disappointment and disdain for Europe's defense efforts.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth criticize in these communications their European allies, calling them "miserable," while the US feels obligated to support them.
The messages, mistakenly sent to The Atlantic magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed deep dissatisfaction within the Trump administration regarding Europe's contribution to global defense, particularly in the context of US-Ukraine relations.
The conversation also showed internal debates over US military action in Yemen, with concerns about the conflict and Trump's tough stance on Europe.
Goldberg revealed that Trump's national security team added him to their group chat, which contains a large volume of highly classified information, and released details of the conversation on Monday.
The conversation appears to have served as a virtual war room for some of the key players in the Trump White House, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The conversation initially focused on military strikes against Houthi strongholds in Yemen, which began after the Houthis threatened to again attack "Israeli" ships blocking aid from entering the Gaza Strip.
In the chats, the user identified as Vice President JD Vance expresses concerns about the attacks, but ultimately accepts US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan, before adding: "I just hate to save Europe again . "
Hegseth responds: “I fully share your hatred of European soft behavior. It’s PATHETIC.”
Now Mike Waltz is facing dismissal from his position due to this scandal, as he is believed to have been the official who added the journalist to the Signal group.
A source told Politico: “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is an idiot.”
According to The Atlantic editor-in-chief Goldberg, the messages contained information that could easily be used by enemies of the United States to harm their personnel and assets.
“The information contained therein, if read by an adversary of the United States, could have been used to harm U.S. military personnel and intelligence, particularly in the broader Middle East, in the Central Command area of responsibility. What I will say, to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that Hegseth’s messages contained operational details of upcoming strikes in Yemen, including information about targets, the weapons the U.S. would use, and the sequence of strikes,” Goldber said.
The talks were confirmed as legitimate by the US government, but a White House spokesman said it was a "demonstration of deep and thoughtful political coordination between senior officials" .
Asked about the messages emanating from the group, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that he had not seen The Atlantic story. Looking surprised, Trump said: “I don’t know anything about that. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. To me, it’s a failing magazine.”
Former Democratic presidential candidate and long-time Trump opponent Hillary Clinton responded to news of the leaked messages with a post on 'X', writing: " Are you kidding me? " (A2 Televizion)
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