In a stunning display of incompetence, top officials in Donald Trump’s administration allegedly used an unsecured messaging app to plan a high-stakes military strike against Yemen’s Houthi rebels—and accidentally included a prominent journalist in the chat, exposing critical operational secrets that could have cost American lives.
Now, a bombshell new YouGov poll reveals that 75% of Americans view the blunder as a “serious” issue, with 53% calling it “very serious”—far higher than the public’s concern over Hillary Clinton’s emails or even Trump’s own classified documents scandal.
Yet, in true Trumpian fashion, the White House is dismissing the breach as “no big deal.”
“A Catastrophic Failure of Operational Security”
According to The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was mistakenly added to the Signal group, senior officials—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—discussed precise strike timelines, aircraft deployments, and weapon systems in shocking detail.
Military experts say such leaks could have allowed enemy forces to prepare countermeasures, putting U.S. personnel at grave risk.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said veterans planned to hold a rally at Daley Plaza in Chicago, demanding the immediate resignation of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for endangering American service members by mishandling classified information. a fiery House Intelligence Committee hearing.
“This isn’t just a slip-up—it’s a betrayal of our troops,” fumed anti-establishment New Jersey Democrat Lisa McCormick. “If this had happened under Biden, the GOP would be screaming for impeachment, so this partisan coverup is particularly unpatriotic.”
Indeed, Republicans spent years hammering Clinton for her private email server and Biden for mishandling documents—but now, as Trump’s team faces an even more damning security lapse, their silence is deafening.
Poll: Public Sees Double Standard
The YouGov survey confirms what critics have long suspected: Americans take this breach more seriously than past scandals.
- 74% say the Signal leak is at least “somewhat serious.”
- 53% call it “very serious”—compared to just 43% who ever said the same about Clinton’s emails.
- Even 42% of Republicans admit it’s a major problem.
“The hypocrisy is staggering,” said one national security analyst. “Trump’s team spent years weaponizing secrecy—now they’re treating actual leaks like a joke.”
White House in Damage Control—But It’s Not Working
Rather than admit fault, Trump officials have gone into full spin mode:
- Hegseth dismissed the leak as “overblown.”
- Trump himself claimed, without evidence, that the chat was “totally secure.”
- Far-right allies are bizarrely arguing that Goldberg, a Pulitzer-winning journalist, is the real villain for “snooping.”
- As the transcript of the group chat contradicts denials and exposes the as lies, Americans are becoming aware that unprincipled and incompetent leadership is a potential threat to our safety.
But with military veterans and national security experts sounding the alarm—and 75% of the public alarmed—the administration’s dismissals are falling flat.
One question remains: If this had been Biden, would the GOP be demanding resignations?
The answer is obvious.