Inside Scoop: How Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic Joined the Exclusive White House Signal Group Chat

Mike Waltz, who was Donald Trump’s national security adviser, accidentally added a journalist to a sensitive group chat about military operations in Yemen. This blunder happened when he mistakenly saved the journalist’s phone number under the wrong contact a few months back.

This incident was revealed during an internal investigation by the White House. It highlighted a series of oversights that started during the 2024 campaign, culminating in Waltz’s recent mistake when he created the Signal group chat. Donald Trump was initially considering firing Waltz over the incident. Interestingly, he was more upset about the journalist being Jeffrey Goldberg, an editor at The Atlantic— a magazine Trump has openly criticized— than the fact that classified discussions were conducted on an unclassified app like Signal.

After facing scrutiny, Waltz admitted his error, and Trump chose not to fire him. The president wanted to avoid giving the media the satisfaction of forcing out a high-ranking official. The incident triggered a thorough review by the White House IT office, which uncovered how Goldberg’s number ended up in Waltz’s contacts. It all began with an email from Goldberg to the Trump campaign last October, critiquing Trump’s attitude toward veterans.

The email was shared with Waltz by Trump’s then-spokesperson, Brian Hughes. Hughes copied the email’s content, including Goldberg’s contact information, into a text for Waltz, who ultimately never called him. Instead, due to a quirk in iPhone’s contact system, Goldberg’s number was saved under Hughes’s contact card without Waltz realizing it.

This mishap remained unnoticed until last month, when Waltz attempted to add Hughes to the group chat and accidentally included Goldberg’s number. Waltz maintained that he didn’t have any prior communication with Goldberg and suggested that his iPhone had mistakenly saved the number.

When asked for comment, Goldberg simply acknowledged he knew Waltz and had spoken with him before.

Trump was informed of the phone mix-up and decided to keep Waltz on board, reportedly appreciating his honesty. In the weeks that followed, Trump defended Waltz publicly. Additionally, after news of the incident broke, Waltz’s colleagues showed him some support, given that the White House had authorized Signal for communication, as there was no better option available across agencies.

This situation echoes past controversies in politics where communication mishaps have led to significant consequences. It also raises questions about the security and management of sensitive political discussions. As social media continues to play a role in these discussions, user reactions on platforms like Twitter reflect a mix of humor and criticism, with many pointing out how easily such errors can happen in the digital age.

Waltz’s experience serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in modern communication within government, especially in high-stakes situations. In a world where technology and human errors intertwine, this incident may not just be an isolated case but part of a larger conversation about operational security and accountability in governance.

For more on technology in politics, check out this informative report on government communication protocols.

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