NBC News: Trump stands by NSA Waltz despite disclosing military plans, saying he's 'learned a lesson'

[Dennis Donovan]

NBC News - Trump stands by national security adviser Mike Waltz despite disclosing military plans, saying he’s ‘learned a lesson’

Trump said that even though a journalist from The Atlantic was inadvertently added to a private chat about military plans, his presence had “no impact” on the military strikes in Yemen.

March 25, 2025, 9:16 AM EDT
By Garrett Haake and Megan Lebowitz

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump stood by his national security adviser, Michael Waltz, after The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was accidentally added to a private, high-level chat on the messaging app Signal where military plans were being discussed, calling the situation a "glitch."

"Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man," Trump said Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC News.

Trump's comments mark his first substantive remarks since the story from The Atlantic broke, which detailed how journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to a group chat on a private messaging app where plans for military strikes in Yemen were discussed.

Trump said Goldberg's presence in the chat had "no impact at all" on the military operation.

When asked what he was told about how Goldberg came to be added to the Signal chat, Trump said, “It was one of Michael’s people on the phone. A staffer had his number on there.”

/snip

[mobeau69]

1. Dumbass, you fire them so others learn a lesson.

[newdeal2]

2. As expected

One standard for Democrats, especially women.

Another for Republican men.

[tulipsandroses]

7. Exactly. Leading up to this, anything that went wrong they shouted DEI, DEI ,DEI,

Even when they had no evidence that a woman or any other minority group was involved.

They claim they are getting rid of " DEI" and restoring " merit and competency".

This is a perfect example that none of that is true. You replaced very accomplished people with incompetence.

This is where the media fails. trump and all of them should be asked about that every time.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

35. Hogsbreath is a DEI hire: Drunk Every Instant. . . . nt

[Raven]

3. Trump has a death wish or, it hasn't dawned on him that these are the very people who are

supposed to protect him.

[Midnight Writer]

4. "Waltz has learned a lesson". He sure has. He learned national security violations are a joke

in this Administration.

Trump, Musk, Pete, are actually laughing about this and posting jokes online, as well as attacking The Atlantic for reporting this.

These people are either really, really smart or really, really stupid.

That they control all branches of our democratically elected government makes me think maybe we are the fools.

[Wingus Dingus]

5. LOCK HIM UP

[Torchlight]

6. DUI hires are problematic in leadership positions.

DOGE should get on this, quickly!

[unblock]

26. Ooh, I'm stealing that one!

DUI hires

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Dumbsh*t misses the entire point. No one cares if there was "no impact at all" on the military operation. We care about

the incompetency of the entire administration and the lack of security to national 'secrets'.

[Prairie Gates]

9. As have we all!

[C_U_L8R]

10. What about Marco Rubio or the others?

Did they learn a lesson too? How do you know? Who's to say they aren't still using illegal and insecure comm devices?

[alarimer]

11. Reminds me of "Burn After Reading".

"What did we learn?"
"I don't know, sir."
"I don't fucking know either. Well, I guess we learned not to do that again."

So many quotes from that movie could apply.

[hay rick]

12. On the job training. Gotta master the tricycle before moving on to a big boy bicycle.

[travelingthrulife]

13. Oh, he's doing the Susan Collin's shuffle. "I think he's learned his lesson."

He sure did, Susan. He learned that crime and sedition pay.

[tanyev]

14. "He's such a good man. He really lays it on thick when he tells me how wonderful I am."

Not an actual quote. Yet.

[Emile]

15. Drug test them all.

[Quiet Em]

16. Not surprised. The con artist doesn't believe in acountablilty for anything.

Lawlessness, fraud, sexual assault, bribery, lies. There is no good, no decency, no honestly or intergrity in him or in his entire Administration and political movement. It's all illicit and corrupt.

[keep_left]

17. Of course he does. This is the guy who stashed Top Secret documents...

...in an unlocked bathroom next door to the pool at Mar-a-Lago, and then when the Feds found out, his idea of beefing up security was to add a $5 padlock. This is par for the course when it comes to the Trump regime.

[kentuck]

18. That means Waltz will be gone by this evening or tomorrow.

He will be the scapegoat thrown overboard.

Trump will not let this go on for long. It keeps him from going on TV.

[generalbetrayus]

19. Does anybody beside me (and I don't consider myself a conspiracy theorist) think that adding Goldberg to the list

was not "accidental" or a "glitch"? Sure, these bozos are generally arrogant and incompetent, but this smells of a mole in this group that wanted this misuse of Signal chat to see the light of day. I sure hope at least one of the people in this crowd is an actual patriot. It might be time for Orange Julius Caesar to start waterboarding these folks and see who the real patriot is.

[mikelewis]

23. I feel the exact same way....

Someone could have spoofed the phone that invited in Goldberg... and not by accident. Oddly, if I had to pick one... and this is a tall order but some staffer related to the old Neocons may have played a neat little trick to show the world that the adults are still in the room. It would not be remotely hard to do and would serve them right... put egg on all their faces and put Chump and co on thier heels... I don't find it a coincidence that he revoke so many Security Clearances two days before this 'Surprise" story that they KNEW about 4 days earlier when Goldberg told them he was in the chat. so they knew and what were they trying to cover up?

[kentuck]

30. VP Vance was the only one that expressed any disagreement in the group chat..

But, he wouldn't invite a reporter, would he?

[moniss]

20. One minute Crumb The 1st says

he knows nothing about it and the next minute makes detailed excuses about it. Meanwhile the media is itching to get back to talking about eggs.

[mikelewis]

21. That is the perfect job to learn on the fly... So smart...

Man, how do they keep selling this shit as brilliance? Who looks at this shit show and thinks these guys remotely have a clue or remotely give a shit about anyone but themselves? Unreal how gullible racists are.

[Tickle]

22. That's it!

I thought at least one head would roll.

do we all just go back to where we came from?

[womanofthehills]

24. The other question is - are we ever going to stop bombing Yemen

Trump put down Biden for bombing Yemen & said he would talk with Yemen - said he would not bomb them. More dead kids.

[Karasu]

25. This administration fires tens of thousands of people every fucking week for no reason other than to pinch pennies, yet

they won't fire people in actual positions of power who royally fuck up. Because competence doesn't matter to them. Only loyalty.

[flamingdem]

27. And Al Franken forced out why?

Dems are weak when they turn on themselves.

We can't let that happen anymore.

[BlueTsunami2018]

28. Of course. Everyone knew nothing was going to happen here.

Nothing EVER happens to these people.

They’re free to do whatever they want.

[ificandream]

33. Trump's philosophy is to never admit any wrongdoing.

So the same for his administration lowlights.

[Grins]

29. "That's what Senator Collins said about you!!!" NM

[twodogsbarking]

31. Call for his removal. Make a big deal out of it. Piss off Trump as much as possible.

[ificandream]

32. Fire him? Nah. He'll probably give him a promotion.

maga idiots never admit to anything.

[Cha]

34. Lol of course he does. Idiot

Traitors stick together like fucking Nazis