Pete Hegseth finds himself at the epicenter of a political whirlwind. That chaos came to a head when confidential information was accidentally made public in a Signal breakout group. Our fireside chat included big hitters such as Donald Trump’s vice-president, JD Vance, and national security adviser, Mike Waltz. It goofed – badly – by including Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. The shocking incident quickly caused outrage across the nation and full-throated calls for the resignation of all those connected to this debacle.
The firestorm ignited on March 24, when the Atlantic made public highlights from that private chat. Goldberg, whom Waltz mistakenly added to the thread, described the apparent jump to a science fiction blunder. He announced, “This is not ‘The Matrix’. When we convened our Signal group chat, it was the details of a U.S. airstrike in Yemen that eliminated Houthis rebels that really shook us. Remember, it included racist comments about Europe from Vance and Hegseth.
The aftermath of this blunder has drastically altered Hegseth’s position with the voters. A recent Dakota Poll found that 54% of registered voters believe Hegseth should resign from leading the Pentagon. This sentiment expresses the increasing frustration with his leadership. Among Republican voters, Hegseth’s continued employment not surprisingly draws support from only 62%, while 38% agree he should resign. By contrast, just a third approve of his performance in the job.
The gaffe happened when Waltz’s phone accidentally “siphoned” Goldberg’s number, inserting him into the chat without his knowledge. We are fearful that this mistake will lead to public embarrassment for each of you. It has raised issues over how senior government officials access and use sensitive information.
Yet, remarkably, former President Donald Trump has decided not to fire them, despite the ongoing outrage. He dismisses the incident as simply a “glitch.” Instead, as is often the case when it comes to Trump, he has directed his criticism elsewhere—to Goldberg. Nonetheless, the incident has cast a shadow over the involved parties, with many questioning the judgment and responsibility of those in positions of power.