Trump was 'mad' and 'suspicious' as to why NSA Mike Waltz had Atlantic reporter stored in his contacts
WASHINGTON, DC: A bombshell new report has revealed that President Donald Trump wasn’t just upset with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz over the Signal chat leak, he was downright "suspicious."
Trump stood by Waltz publicly, telling NBC’s Garrett Haake, "Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man." But behind the scenes, it was a different story.
Donald Trump’s growing distrust in wake of Signal group chat leak
The president reportedly questioned why Waltz even had Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s phone number saved in the first place.
"Trump was mad — and suspicious — that Waltz had Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s number saved in his phone in the first place," Politico reported, citing three sources familiar with the situation.
A fourth source added that Trump was particularly enraged by how embarrassing the situation had become.
"The president was pissed that Waltz could be so stupid," one insider revealed.
But "despite spending Monday questioning whether Waltz needed to resign, the White House and its allies on Tuesday sought to downplay the sensitivity of the information shared in the group chat," the report stated.
"Officials suggested the national security community, in collaboration with the media, was making a bigger deal out of the issue than it was, arguing the material was not classified and suggesting Goldberg had sensationalized the content."
Damage control begins after Signal group chat leak
By Tuesday afternoon, the White House had gone into full damage-control mode. Trump made sure to be seen publicly backing Waltz, giving quick interviews to NBC News and Fox News where he pledged his support.
Meanwhile, his top spokespeople suggested on X that national security hawks and the media were blowing the situation out of proportion.
Waltz tried to regain his footing by attending a meeting of Trump’s ambassadors, where he doubled down on his innocence.
“There’s a lot of journalists in this city who have made big names for themselves making up lies … This one in particular I’ve never met, don’t know, never communicated with, and we are looking into and reviewing how the heck he got into this room,” Waltz insisted.
Despite this, Trump made it clear he wasn’t letting the issue slide completely. While he called Waltz “a very good man," he also announced he would be investigating the use of Signal among government officials to prevent further security breaches.
Lingering tensions in Donald Trump’s inner circle
Even though Trump publicly played the role of a forgiving leader, sources close to him say Waltz’s relationship with the administration’s inner circle has been seriously strained. One Trump ally warned to Politico that this may not be the end of Waltz’s troubles.
Trump and his team have long been wary of leaks, closely monitoring who speaks to which reporters. Unlike his first term, Trump’s second White House has been relatively leak-free - largely due to the tight grip of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Every staffer was pre-vetted for loyalty, and any whiff of unauthorized communication with the press is taken as a serious red flag.
In fact, one Trump ally even admitted to going through the phone of a suspected leaker, trying to determine which journalists they had been in contact with. Another adviser said they have intentionally spread false information just to see where leaks might originate from.
"That made the Monday episode a particularly embarrassing blunder for an administration that has spent two months arguing it will not tolerate leaks," Politico reported, adding that "not only was the leak of sensitive military details by top officials a clumsy accident, it also involved a reporter and an outlet the administration sees as diametrically opposed to its agenda."
