U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed his National Security Adviser, Michael Waltz, after Waltz mistakenly added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a secure Signal group chat discussing classified military plans against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The blunder, which quickly escalated into a political scandal dubbed “Signalgate,” led to the publication of sensitive internal communications by The Atlantic, sparking widespread outrage and media scrutiny.
According to The Daily Mail, Waltz’s firing marks the first cabinet-level dismissal of Trump’s second term. A source confirmed that the president is expected to formally announce the decision soon.
Goldberg was inadvertently added to a chat with 17 senior officials, which he later exposed in full, raising questions about the competence and discretion of the national security team.
Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy who has previously met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is reportedly being considered as Waltz’s replacement.
“This has to do with competence, not ideology,” said journalist Mark Halperin on his 2Way YouTube show, adding that dissatisfaction with Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, had been growing within the national security establishment.
Despite the controversy, Waltz had remained in his role for several weeks, appearing on Fox & Friends and attending Cabinet meetings. However, his credibility suffered significantly, especially after a widely mocked explanation on The Ingraham Angle about how Goldberg was added to the chat.
Trump had initially resisted firing Waltz, reportedly to avoid appearing reactive to Goldberg’s reporting. In a recent interview with The Atlantic, the president gave a lukewarm defense: “Waltz is fine. I mean, he’s here. He just left this office. He’s fine. He was beat up also.”
