On Saturday, President Trump informed NBC News that he has no intention of dismissing anyone associated with a group chat that accidentally leaked plans for airstrikes on Yemen to a journalist.
During a comprehensive interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Mr. Trump refuted claims that some advisors urged him to terminate Michael Waltz, the national security adviser. Mr. Waltz had mistakenly included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, in a confidential group chat on Signal, a private messaging platform, just before U.S. airstrikes against the Iranian-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen on March 15.
The New York Times reported that throughout the week, Mr. Trump had been consulting with aides regarding whether to dismiss Mr. Waltz due to the growing repercussions from the incident.
However, Mr. Trump assured Ms. Welker of his continued confidence in both Mr. Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while downplaying the severity of the situation. “I don’t fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts,” he stated.
Mr. Trump also talked about Greenland, following Vice President JD Vance’s visit to an American military base on the island. He reiterated that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of using force to annex Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, yet suggested he believes a deal could be more feasible.
When questioned about what message such an acquisition might communicate to the international community, including Russia, Mr. Trump replied, “I don’t really think about that; I don’t really care.”
As the Trump administration’s new auto tariffs are about to take effect, the president remarked that he “couldn’t care less” if automakers raise their prices due to increased costs of importing vehicles and parts into the U.S. He expressed his belief that these tariffs could lead to a rise in purchases of American-made vehicles.
Currently, nearly half of the cars sold in the United States are imported, along with around 60 percent of the parts used in domestically assembled vehicles.
Mr. Trump dismissed a report alleging he cautioned auto executives against raising prices during discussions about the tariffs.
“I couldn’t care less,” he reiterated. “I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are going to buy American-made cars. We have plenty.”
