Key members of Donald Trump’s cabinet have ripped into European allies, branding them “free-loading” and “pathetic” in extraordinary leaked messages.
The messages have come to light after The Atlantic‘s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a private Signal messaging group by mistake, by Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz.
The group was created to discuss a US military response to the Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes, and included Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Discussing potential U.S. airstrikes against the Houthi terrorist group, the messages turned to disparaging the capabilities of Europe and its armed forces. Goldberg reported that the “Michael Waltz” account posted a long note about trade, and the limited capabilities of Europe’s navies.
An account identified as “JD Vance” replied to a message from “Pete Hegseth” with: “if you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
The user identified as Hegseth: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
The Vance account had also pointed out the Houthi attacks largely did not affect America: “3 per cent of US trade runs through the Suez. 40 per cent of European trade does.”
Another account for “SM” – which Goldberg assumed belonged to deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller – said the US was going ahead with the strikes, but it needed to be clear to European allies that it was not for free.
“As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”
Later in the group chat, Goldberg reveals highly sensitive plans for airstrikes on the Houthis were discussed, including targets and weaponry, shortly before the strikes were carried out.
When asked about the security breach that saw a journalist added to the group, Trump said he didn’t know anything about it, and dismissed the Atlantic as “a magazine that’s going out of business”.
Former U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who served under Barack Obama, said the officials involved “need to be fired” and the White House should take the ramifications of the breach seriously.
Hegseth has since accused Goldberg, of “peddling hoaxes”, describing him as “deceitful” and a “so-called journalist”.
“Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he told reporters after the leak.
