President Donald Trump is standing firmly behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after a leaked Signal chat sparked backlash and calls for Hegseth’s resignation. The controversy began when Hegseth accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, in a private Signal message sharing details about a military strike in Yemen.
During a press briefing, reporters asked Trump whether Hegseth should step down. The president didn’t hesitate to defend him: “He had nothing to do with this — Pete’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said. He went on to clarify that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had taken responsibility for the accidental invite. “Mike said he did it — that’s what I’ve been told,” Trump added, downplaying the incident and focusing instead on the mission’s success.
Trump also questioned the functionality of the Signal app itself, saying, “We all use Signal, but maybe we need to make sure it’s working like it’s supposed to. Honestly, I don’t know — maybe it’s flawed.”
Despite the secure reputation of Signal, it’s not uncommon for missteps like this to happen. Still, the situation quickly became political. Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona demanded Hegseth’s resignation, citing national security concerns. Kelly took to X (formerly Twitter) calling Hegseth “the most incompetent Secretary of Defense in history,” while Gallego warned the blunder could’ve endangered American troops.
Hegseth responded with a strong statement, criticizing The Atlantic for mischaracterizing the messages as “war plans.” He insisted no classified information was shared, saying the leaked content lacked specific details like names, targets, or tactics. “Those so-called ‘war plans’ are basically useless,” he said.
According to Hegseth, the Signal message was a routine team update meant for senior officials. He acknowledged stating when certain strikes would occur but emphasized it was part of his job to keep the team informed. “I shared a general timeline, not sensitive strategy,” he explained.
Senator Marco Rubio also weighed in, acknowledging the mistake but siding with Hegseth on the core issue. “Clearly, a journalist should not have been on that thread,” Rubio said. “But the Pentagon has confirmed no classified info was leaked, and the mission or our troops were never in danger.”
While Democrats continue to demand accountability, Trump and his team are treating the situation as an unfortunate mishap — not a breach of national security. For now, Hegseth remains in his post with full support from the White House.