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Pentagon chat scandal: Trump calls Europeans ‘parasites’ and downplays Signal incident

US President Donald Trump defends his team after the Signal leak and raises harsh criticism of Europe, accused of being a ‘parasite’ by members of his administration

Donald Trump, president of the United States, finds himself at the centre of a new scandal after a chat on Signal containing Pentagon plans for an attack in Yemen was mistakenly shared with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic magazine, and became public knowledge. Despite the controversy, Trump did not apologise for what emerged from the chat and reiterated the accusations against Europe made by his deputy, J.D. Vance, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In the top-secret chat, Vance expressed contempt for the Old Continent, stating: ‘I can’t stand having to save Europe again’ about a US raid against the Houthis. Hegseth responded by sharing his hatred for ‘the European parasite’. Trump added: ‘I agree, they are parasites. They have been for years, but I don’t blame them, I blame Biden,’ in a clear reference to trade and tariffs.

Despite the embarrassment over the mistake made by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who accidentally included Goldberg in the chat, Trump downplayed the incident, saying that no classified information was leaked and that the attack against the Houthis was a success. He also reiterated his confidence in the national security team, stressing that ‘the only hiccup in two months was a non-serious one’.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that no classified material was discussed in the chat, criticising Goldberg’s sensationalism. However, CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the inclusion of a journalist in a high-level chat between Trump administration officials “obviously not appropriate”.

During the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Democratic Senator Michael Bennet pressed Ratcliffe about the handling of classified information, asking whether CIA rules were followed. Ratcliffe replied in the affirmative, confirming that the CIA adopts precise rules in this regard.

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