Former President Donald Trump conveyed his discontent with national security adviser Michael Waltz during discussions on Thursday regarding his choice to withdraw Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, according to two Republican insiders familiar with the talks.
Sources indicate that Trump’s frustration stems from two main issues. Firstly, he is upset that Waltz mishandled a Signal group chat intended for coordination among senior national security officials. Screenshots shared by The Atlantic revealed a Signal user named Waltz added Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, to the chat, sparking a controversy for the White House that has persisted for several days.
Additionally, Trump is displeased with the heightened competitiveness of the race to succeed Waltz in Congress, which, according to him, should be more favorable for Republicans. The upcoming special election in Florida arose due to Trump’s selection of Waltz for his governmental role.
Despite GOP leaders expressing confidence in the Republican candidate, Randy Fine, for the special election, Trump remains concerned that the surrounding dynamics are perpetuating a negative narrative and tarnishing the party’s image, as relayed by the sources. On Thursday night, Trump is scheduled to hold tele-town halls for Fine and another Republican candidate in a separate Florida special election. If Stefanik had been confirmed as U.N. ambassador, it would have triggered another special election, further complicating Republican efforts in the closely divided House while attempting to advance Trump’s legislative agenda.
The White House refrained from commenting on inquiries regarding Trump’s Thursday discussions.
Trump’s dissatisfaction with Waltz arises amidst increasing calls from his allies for Trump to dismiss the national security adviser as a scapegoat for the group chat incident.
While Waltz has faced backlash for allowing Goldberg’s inclusion in the chat that led to its publication, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also come under scrutiny for sharing military details over a commercial app instead of utilizing official government communication channels for sensitive information.
On Thursday, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged the Defense Department’s inspector general to investigate the Signal chat, particularly whether the department’s protocols on classification and information sharing were violated. Wicker, along with the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., jointly submitted a letter to the inspector general.
“The information made public recently seems to me of such sensitive nature that, based on my understanding, I would have wanted it classified,” Wicker informed reporters on Wednesday.
Despite the criticism, Hegseth has received strong support from Trump and others.
“Hegseth is doing a tremendous job. He had nothing to do with this issue. Hegseth? How do you involve Hegseth in this? He wasn’t responsible,” Trump remarked to reporters on Wednesday.
During the same media interaction, Trump commented on Waltz, stating, “Mike Waltz, I suppose he took responsibility,” before adding, “But again, the successful attacks were phenomenal, and that’s what you should really be discussing.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Wednesday that Trump “retains confidence in his national security team.”
Hegseth has defended his actions by assuring reporters that there was “no classified information” in the chat, a statement echoed by the administration and many fellow Republicans.
“There were no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, and no classified information,” Hegseth stated on Wednesday.
Other allies in the MAGA movement have also rallied behind Hegseth.
“We challenge the media and these radical Democrats to go after Pete Hegseth,” declared Steve Bannon, a long-time Trump ally and former aide in his administration. “We stand with him.”
Nonetheless, a House Republican experienced in national security matters expressed to NBC News on Thursday that Hegseth should resign, stating that if Biden-era Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had acted similarly, “we would have already drawn up impeachment papers and called for his resignation.”
