Former national security advisor Mike Waltz has sparked interest by appearing to communicate with fellow Trump officials using the encrypted messaging app Signal, despite President Donald Trump’s earlier admonishments regarding its use amid the controversy known as “Signalgate.”
A photograph captured by Reuters correspondent Evelyn Hockstein during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday shows Waltz glancing at his phone, revealing the open Signal app. The image indicates that he is engaged in conversations with at least six individuals, one of whom is designated as “JD Vance,” the Vice President.
Additional names in the image, though partially obscured, are presumed to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Steve Witkoff, who serves as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East and a key negotiator for the Russia-Ukraine situation. Timestamps on these messages suggest that discussions were active as recently as Tuesday or Wednesday morning, coinciding with the day of the Cabinet meeting.
When approached for comment, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated, “As we have said many times, Signal is an approved app for government use and is loaded on government phones.”
Nevertheless, the initial use of Signal by senior Trump administration members, including Waltz, earlier this year to discuss potential military strikes ignited significant controversy surrounding Trump’s second term.
In March, Waltz participated in an exchange involving Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and others, during which they deliberated airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Yemen. A mistake by Waltz resulted in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, being inadvertently included in this conversation.
Goldberg later reported on the sensitive military discussions, which led to calls for the resignations of Waltz and Hegseth from Democratic lawmakers. Trump publicly supported Waltz, with his administration asserting that none of the information shared in the thread was classified.
Subsequently, The Atlantic published the entire text thread, raising questions among both current and former military officials regarding the classification status of the discussed information. The Pentagon has initiated an investigation into Hegseth for utilizing what has been characterized as a “commercial messaging application for official business.”
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, conducted two days prior to the Cabinet meeting, Trump reflected on the Signalgate affair and suggested, “I think we learned: Maybe don’t use Signal, okay?” Trump, who claims not to use the app personally, expressed reservations about its reliability.
The photograph of Waltz attracted considerable attention on social media shortly after Trump announced his intention to nominate him as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. This announcement confirmed prior reports that Waltz would be transitioning from his role as national security advisor, marking one of the first significant personnel changes in Trump’s administration during this term.
In the interim, Rubio will take on the responsibilities of national security advisor until a permanent replacement is appointed, as stated by Trump on Truth Social.
“I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz expressed on X later that Thursday.
