Time to "show him the door"? Vance advised Trump to fire Waltz over Signal chat scandal
Kyiv • UNN
The US Vice President hinted to Trump that it was time for adviser Mike Waltz to leave after the Signal chat scandal. Despite the anger, Waltz remains in office for now, but his future is in question.
US Vice President J.D. Vance and several other officials politely hinted to US leader Donald Trump that it might be time for National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to be shown the door after the Signal chat scandal, UNN reports, citing Politico.
Details
On Wednesday evening—after a day of brutal headlines surrounding the now-infamous Signal chat—US Vice President J.D. Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and senior personnel official Sergio Gor politely offered President Donald Trump some advice in a private meeting.
The accidental inclusion of a journalist in the chat by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had created significant turmoil for the White House. Perhaps it was time to consider showing him the door, they suggested, according to two people familiar with the conversations who were granted anonymity to discuss them.
The president agreed that Waltz had messed up, according to the people, but Trump ultimately decided not to fire him.
They don't want to give the press a scalp
Despite the simmering anger directed at the national security adviser inside the White House, Waltz is still in his position five days after The Atlantic first published its explosive story on the Signal chat. That doesn't mean he's safe yet, according to two people.
In fact, two allies have heard that some administration officials are simply waiting for the opportune moment to let him go, aiming to get out of the news cycle before making changes.
One of them made this prediction: "They'll keep him for a while, but he'll be gone in a couple of weeks."
Vance's office declined to comment. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that "President Trump continues to have full confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz."
Addendum
On Friday, Vance—a widely recognized team player who apparently quickly accepted Trump's decision—included Waltz in his high-profile trip to Greenland, happily leaving personnel decisions to the president, according to a person familiar with him who was granted anonymity to discuss the personal dynamics.
He went even further, mocking reporters, implying they were just craving drama. He vowed they wouldn't get it.
"If you think you're going to get the President of the United States to fire someone, you've got another thing coming!" he said. "I'm the Vice President, stating it here on Friday: we stand by our entire national security team."
Recall
The editor of "The Atlantic," Jeffrey Goldberg, reported that he was accidentally added to a Signal chat where he witnessed discussions about upcoming attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.
This sparked a heated debate in the White House: an investigation was launched, and there was even talk that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz should be fired.
In turn, Donald Trump supported Mike Waltz after the incident involving The Atlantic's editor-in-chief being added to a closed chat where military plans were discussed. Trump stated that the situation did not affect the military operation.