Trump dismisses calls to fire officials involved in Signal leak, labels it “fake news”

US President Donald Trump addressed the recent controversy surrounding a Signal group chat, in which military plans were allegedly leaked to a journalist.

The chat, which involved senior Trump administration officials discussing a military strike on Houthi militants in Yemen, led to calls for action, including from within Trump’s own political circle, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Despite growing pressure, Trump firmly stated he had no plans to fire anyone involved in the Signal leak. “I don’t fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts,” Trump remarked, referring to the media’s portrayal of the incident as a significant breach. He further dismissed the controversy, labeling it “fake news” and claiming that the press was more interested in sensationalizing the issue than reporting on the administration’s successes.

The incident involved National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, both of whom were part of the Signal chat where detailed military plans were discussed. The leak, which was reported by The Atlantic, raised concerns about security protocol. However, Trump maintained that the strike itself was highly successful, adding, “We had a tremendously successful strike. We struck very hard and very lethal.”

Trump’s comments come as he has faced calls — including from his allies — to fire Waltz after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that he had been added to a chat group on a private messaging app with senior administration officials.

In the chat, the officials appeared to discuss their plans to strike Houthi rebels, which the Trump administration has since repeatedly claimed were not classified.

“I have no idea what Signal is. I don’t care what Signal is,” Trump said. “All I can tell you is it’s just a witch hunt, and it’s the only thing the press wants to talk about, because you have nothing else to talk about. Because it’s been the greatest 100-day presidency in the history of our country.”

By Vafa Guliyeva