5
revelations from the Trump administration’s war plan texts
Vice
President JD Vance suggested the president doesn’t understand the stakes of the
Houthi strikes and other takeaways from the messages inadvertently shared with
a journalist.
By Paul
McLeary
03/24/2025
03:49 PM EDT
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/24/5-revelations-national-security-war-plans-texts-00245721
The
revelation that the nation’s top security officials accidentally shared war
plans with a journalist on Signal shocked Washington on Monday, even before
people knew what was in them.
The chat,
set up by national security adviser Mike Waltz — which mistakenly included The
Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg — laid out the Trump administration’s
thinking on whether to bomb the Houthis, a Yemen-based militant group that has
targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
But the
texts also included dissenting views rarely voiced in public and a flippant
disregard for classified information. Here are some of the biggest takeaways:
Vance
pushed back against bombing the Houthis.
Vice
President JD Vance appeared hesitant to move forward with a bombing campaign
against the Iran-backed group.
“We are
making a mistake,” in bombing the Houthis, he said, since Europe relies on Red
Sea trade more than the U.S. does.
“3 percent
of US trade runs through the [Suez Canal]. 40 percent of European trade does,”
he said. “There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why
it’s necessary.”
Trump’s
vice president doesn’t think he gets it.
Vance also
suggested the president didn’t fully understand the stakes or the messaging in
a bombing campaign against the Houthis.
“I am not
sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe
right now,” Vance said, expressing concern that the strikes would drive up the
cost of oil.
“There’s a
further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices,” he said. “I
am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to
myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the
messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”
National
security leaders likely shared classified information.
CIA chief
John Ratcliffe — or someone on his staff using his name — texted the Signal
chat information that Goldberg refused to print saying it “contained
information that might be interpreted as related to actual and current
intelligence operations.”
Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth also shared with the group other likely classified
information. “The Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming
strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would
be deploying, and attack sequencing,” Goldberg said.
The
administration has feelings about Europe.
Vance and
Hegseth were clear about their dislike of European allies.
“I just hate
bailing Europe out again,” Vance texted. The Red Sea, where the Houthis have
been attacking commercial shipping, carries more European goods than it does
for the U.S. market.
“I fully
share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC,” Hegseth
responded, showing that the administration’s rejection of some of America’s
closest allies isn’t just for show.
They did not
mention that the U.K. is using its aerial refueling planes to help keep U.S.
jets in the air over Yemen. The U.K., France and other NATO allies also have
warships in the Red Sea escorting commercial ships and shooting down Houthi
drones and missiles.
Let loose
the emojis of war.
Waltz
responded to the initial successful bombing runs, according to Goldberg, with
“three emoji: a fist, an American flag, and fire.”
Secretary of
State Marco Rubio and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles voiced messages of
support, he said. Steve Witkoff, the Middle East special envoy, “responded with
five emoji: two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags.”
Vance
responded to Hegseth’s updates about the bombs with, “I will say a prayer for
victory.” Two others added prayer emojis.
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