Vice President JD Vance found himself at the center of online mockery after sending an awkward late-night text message that was part of a larger security breach involving Trump administration officials. The message, sent at 2:26 a.m., read “This chat’s kind of dead. Anything going on?” and was included in a Signal group chat where sensitive military operations were being discussed.
The embarrassing text came to light after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to the encrypted messaging group. Officials in the chat had been discussing military airstrikes against the Houthi militant group in Yemen, including detailed war plans involving operations in the Red Sea region.
National security adviser Mike Waltz appeared on Monday to address the security lapse, taking full responsibility for the breach. Waltz told Laura Ingraham during The Ingraham Angle that he built the Signal group and the incident was embarrassing. Waltz claims he doesn’t know how Goldberg’s contact information ended up on his phone.
The Signal group chat included several high-ranking Trump administration officials, among them Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, John Ratcliffe and Elon Musk. The officials were using the non-government approved app to coordinate discussions about sensitive military operations, raising immediate concerns about security protocols and proper communication channels.
Brian Hughes confirmed the Signal group chat was legitimate and the security breach is under review by the administration.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation, saying he knows nothing about it and later adding that Waltz learned a lesson and is a good man. The president’s comments came as House Democrats began hinting at potential perjury charges for intelligence chiefs involved in the security breach.
Waltz described Goldberg as vile and bottom scum of journalists during his television appearance. The national security adviser expressed confusion about how the journalist’s information appeared in his phone contacts.
The breach has attracted significant attention, and information about the incident continues to emerge. Waltz said Elon Musk is investigating how the breach occurred, suggesting the tech entrepreneur’s expertise might help determine whether the addition was accidental or deliberate.
The Defense Department released an 84-page report related to the military operations that were being discussed in the compromised chat. The report’s timing has added another layer of complexity to an already sensitive situation involving national security communications.
The incident has raised serious questions about the Trump administration’s communications security practices. Officials discussing war plans on non-secure platforms represents a significant departure from standard government protocols, which typically require classified discussions to occur through approved, encrypted government systems rather than commercial messaging apps.
The leak reportedly occurred around March 11, though the full timeline remains under investigation. Determining exactly how Goldberg gained access to the sensitive communications is a top priority for the administration.
Congressional oversight has become increasingly likely as lawmakers from both parties express concern about the security lapse. The House Democrats’ suggestion of perjury charges indicates the potential for serious legal consequences beyond mere embarrassment for those involved in the breach.
The Vance text message, while seemingly innocuous on its own, has become emblematic of the larger security failure. Social media users have seized on the vice president’s attempt to revive conversation in what he apparently thought was a routine group chat, unaware that a journalist was documenting the exchange. The phrase “This chat’s kind of dead” has been widely shared and mocked online as an example of the casual approach some officials took to what should have been highly secure communications.
The broader implications of the breach extend beyond social media mockery. National security experts have expressed alarm that sensitive military planning was conducted through commercial messaging platforms rather than secure government systems designed specifically for classified communications. The incident highlights potential vulnerabilities in how the current administration handles sensitive information.
As investigations continue, the incident serves as a reminder of the challenges modern administrations face in maintaining operational security while using contemporary communication technology. The breach has prompted discussions about whether stricter protocols need to be implemented for senior officials’ use of messaging apps, particularly when discussing matters of national security and military operations.