White House in turmoil after national security blunder puts security advisor Mike Waltz under pressure

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

The accidental inclusion of The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal chat about potential US military strikes has thrown the Trump White House into disarray — with national security advisor Mike Waltz at the centre of the storm and some officials privately calling for his resignation.

The breach, which involved high-ranking members of the administration — including US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, US Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others — has sparked fury and finger-pointing within the West Wing. While no final decision has been made, aides say President Trump is closely monitoring the fallout and could act within days.

A reckless mistake in the spotlight

The controversy erupted after Goldberg was mistakenly added to a private group chat titled “Houthi PC small group,” where senior officials were actively discussing US strategy in Yemen. The revelation, first reported by The Atlantic, has triggered immediate backlash from national security circles and Capitol Hill.

“It was reckless not to check who was on the thread,” one senior official told POLITICO. “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser.”

The White House has not disputed the facts of the report, but in a Monday statement, US press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence” in Waltz and the rest of his national security team.

Still, sources say that multiple officials are engaged in private discussions about how to handle the fallout. Some believe Waltz should voluntarily resign to spare Trump the embarrassment of having to publicly remove him.

An internal rift exposed

The blunder has opened up existing fault lines inside the administration. While Trump could ultimately blame Waltz, insiders say he may instead turn his attention to others involved in the chat — such as Vance, whose message raised concerns about the economic impact of a premature strike, or Hegseth, who allegedly shared sensitive operational details.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” Vance wrote in the leaked chat, warning of potential oil price spikes and suggesting a delay in military action.

The episode has also revived concerns among Trump loyalists about Waltz’s past associations with neoconservatives. Though Waltz has aligned himself with Trump’s “America First” doctrine in recent years, his advisory role under former Vice President Dick Cheney continues to raise suspicion among isolationist conservatives.

Critics on social media questioned why Waltz even had Goldberg’s contact information, suggesting it signals a lingering connection to Washington’s foreign policy establishment.

Republican defence and congressional scrutiny

Despite the uproar, key Republican lawmakers have come to Waltz’s defence. Speaker Mike Johnson told POLITICO that Waltz “absolutely should not” resign. “He’s exceptionally qualified for the job. He is trusted — trustworthy,” Johnson said. “He was made for that job.”

Still, members of Congress have voiced alarm over the handling of sensitive information. Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it a “concern” and confirmed that the committee would be looking into the matter. Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said using Signal for such discussions was “unconscionable.”

Trump holds the final card

Whether Waltz survives may depend less on internal consensus and more on how Trump personally interprets the political optics. While the president values loyalty and has shown a high threshold for controversy, aides acknowledge that he is deeply sensitive to how incidents like this are portrayed in the media.

For now, Waltz remains in his post — but pressure is mounting. And for an administration only two months into its second term, the episode has already been branded by insiders as “amateur hour” in the most sensitive corridors of power.