President Donald Trump is standing firmly behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, following calls from several Democrats demanding Hegseth’s resignation over a leaked Signal chat that included sensitive information about a military operation in Yemen.

The controversy began when Hegseth mistakenly shared operational details in a Signal group chat that included senior administration officials—along with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who was accidentally added. Goldberg later published the contents of the chat, prompting public scrutiny.

When pressed by reporters on whether Hegseth should consider resigning, Trump was quick to dismiss the suggestion.

“Pete Hegseth is doing a great job—he had nothing to do with this,” Trump responded. “How do you bring Hegseth into this?”

National Security Advisor Took the Blame

Trump explained that White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had accepted responsibility for inadvertently adding Goldberg to the encrypted group chat.

“Mike Waltz… he claimed responsibility. I was told it was Mike,” Trump said. “It had nothing to do with anyone else.”

While the situation raised concerns over national security and the possible exposure of military plans, Trump downplayed the risk, citing the mission’s success.

“There was no harm done because the attack was unbelievably successful that night,” the former president stated.

Questions Over Signal’s Reliability

Trump went on to question the functionality of the Signal app itself, suggesting the messaging platform may have played a role in the mishap.

“It’s all a witch hunt,” he said. “You want to ask about Signal—does it even work? I don’t know. It could be defective, to be honest with you.”

The encrypted messaging app, widely used across Washington, D.C., is favored for its security features and disappearing messages. Despite its popularity, Trump hinted at possible vulnerabilities, saying, “Everybody uses Signal, but it could be a defective platform, and we’re going to have to find that out.”

Democratic Lawmakers Call for Resignation

Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, both Democrats from Arizona, were among those demanding Hegseth’s resignation, citing national security concerns.

“The Signal incident is what happens when you have the most unqualified Secretary of Defense we’ve ever seen,” Kelly wrote on X. “We’re lucky it didn’t cost any servicemembers their lives.”

Gallego echoed the sentiment, stating, “This could have gotten our men and women killed! The Secretary of Defense needs to resign. The incompetence and cover-up are embarrassing.”

Hegseth Denies Sharing Classified Information

In response, Hegseth firmly denied that any classified data was shared. Taking to X, he criticized The Atlantic for what he called a misrepresentation of his messages.

“The Atlantic released the so-called ‘war plans’ and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information,” Hegseth wrote. “Those are some really sh***y war plans.”

The message in question, labeled “Team Update,” was sent on March 15 and reportedly included the timing of the strike and the type of weapons to be used. Hegseth defended it as a routine communication to keep key officials informed.

“My job is to provide team updates in real time,” he explained. “That’s what I did—and that’s my responsibility.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Responds

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in, acknowledging the mistake while downplaying its impact on national security.

“Obviously, someone made a big mistake by adding a journalist. Nothing against journalists, but they’re not supposed to be in that chat,” Rubio said. “None of the information on there ever threatened the mission or put our servicemen in danger.”

Rubio added that no classified information was shared, reinforcing the administration’s stance that the incident, while unfortunate, did not compromise military operations.