‘Pathetic European free-loading’: What was said in Trump officials’ group chat
A group chat of top US officials – which a journalist was accidentally added to – discussed plans to conduct airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and fiery critique of “pathetic” Europe.
Editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was added to the “Houthi PC small group” on Signal on Thursday 13 March.
He wrote about what was said in the days that followed in his article The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.
Here’s what we know was said on encrypted messaging service Signal – in a group that included US vice president JD Vance, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Thursday 13 March
This day was seemingly aimed at establishing who would make up the small group.
A message to the group, from Michael Waltz read: “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”
The message continued: “Pls provide the best staff POC from your team for us to coordinate with over the next couple days and over the weekend. Thx.”
One minute later, the secretary of state Marco Antonio Rubio wrote: “Mike Needham for State,” apparently designating the current counsellor of the state department as his representative.
JD Vance wrote: “Andy baker for VP.” One minute after that, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, wrote: “Joe Kent for DNI.”
Nine minutes later, treasury secretary Scott Bessent wrote: “Dan Katz for Treasury.”
At 4.53pm Pete Hegseth wrote: “Dan Caldwell for DoD.”
And at 6.34pm, a user called “Brian” wrote “Brian McCormack for NSC.” Someone called “John Ratcliffe” then wrote with the name of a CIA official to be included in the group.
Friday 14 March
At 8.05am, Mr Waltz texted the group: “Team, you should have a statement of conclusions with taskings per the Presidents [sic] guidance this morning in your high side inboxes,” with “high side” referring to classified computer systems.
“State and DOD [Department of Defence], we developed suggested notification lists for regional Allies and partners. Joint Staff is sending this am [morning] a more specific sequence of events in the coming days and we will work w DOD to ensure COS [chief of staff], OVP [office of the vice president] and POTUS [president of the United States] are briefed.”
Mr Goldberg says at this point, a “fascinating” policy discussion commenced, during which JD Vance wrote: “Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake.
“3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.
“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. 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.”
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At 8.27am, a message arrived from the Pete Hegseth reading: “VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc). I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what – nobody knows who the Houthis are – which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded.
“Waiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus. 2 immediate risks on waiting: 1) this leaks, and we look indecisive; 2) Israel takes an action first – or Gaza cease fire falls apart – and we don’t get to start this on our own terms. We can manage both.
“We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should. This [is] not about the Houthis. I see it as two things: 1) Restoring Freedom of Navigation, a core national interest; and 2) Reestablish deterrence, which Biden cratered. But, we can easily pause. And if we do, I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC – operations security.
“I welcome other thoughts.”
Later in the conversation, Mr Waltz criticised the limited capabilities of European navies, writing: “Whether it’s now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes. Per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.”
Mr Vance addressed Mr Hegseth in a message reading: “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.”
Mr Hegseth replied: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close. Question is timing. I feel like now is as good a time as any, given POTUS directive to reopen shipping lanes. I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space.”
An account believed to be the deputy White House chief of staff, Stephen Miller, then said: “As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”
This was followed by the last text of the day, from Mr Hegseth, who wrote at 9.46am: “Agree.”
Saturday 15 March
At 11.44am, Mr Hegseth posted in Signal a “TEAM UPDATE” – but The Atlantic has not published what was said.
Mr Goldberg wrote in his article: “I will not quote from this update, or from certain other subsequent texts. The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, Central Command’s area of responsibility.”
He did say Mr Hegseth had sent lengthy text about how the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours from then, at 1.45pm Eastern Time. He said he waited in his car in a supermarket parking lot, waiting to see if Houthi targets would be bombed.
He said he went on X and searched Yemen at about 1.55pm, when he saw reports of explosions being heard across Sanaa, its capital city.
He said the only person to respond to Mr Hegseth in the morning was Mr Vance, who wrote: “I will say a prayer for victory”, along with two prayer emojis.
Pic: The Atlantic
At 1.48am, Mr Waltz provided an update in the group which Mr Goldberg did not quote in full, but he did say the national security adviser described the operation as an “amazing job”.
John Ratcliffe then wrote: “A good start.”
Mr Goldberg said Mr Waltz responded with three emojis: a fist, an American flag and fire.
Others soon joined in, including Mr Rubio, who wrote, “Good Job Pete and your team!!,” and Susie Wiles, who texted: “Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless.”
Mr Witkoff responded with five emojis: two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags.
Tulsi Gabbard responded: “Great work and effects!”
Mr Goldberg said the after-action discussion included assessments of damage done, including the likely death of a specific individual – he did not say who.
Experts have described engravings left on ammunition at the scene of the Charlie Kirk shooting as “extremely online” – so what do the words and symbols actually mean?
Authorities said on Friday that the suspect accused of fatally shooting the Conservative activist left behind bullet casings featuring references to fascism, video games and internet memes.
Kirk at Utah Valley University where he was shot. Pic: Reuters/The Salt Lake Tribune
To those who aren’t chronically online, the messages may appear to be total gibberish. But for others, specifically gamers, many of the meanings will have immediately been clear.
Here’s what each of the casings reference – and why experts have cautioned against using them to make assumptions about the suspect’s political leanings.
1. ‘notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?’
This writing appears to reference a meme about the furry subculture, which centres on an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters.
Within the furry community, OwO is an emoticon of a cute face (with the Os as the eyes and the w as a cute mouth or nose) and used as a way of flirting – but outside the community, it is often used in a mocking way, or as part of trolling.
It’s incredibly common for phrases used by people who are “extremely online” – which essentially means highly engaged in online culture – to have double or multiple meanings.
For this reason, experts have cautioned against trying to interpret messages such as these engravings to determine an attacker’s political leanings or motive.
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What we know about the shooting arrest
Jamie Cohen, an assistant professor of media studies who studies memes at Queens College in New York, said: “Oftentimes this extremely online disguise is meant to be doublespeak.”
Speaking to Sky News’ US partner NBC News, he continued: “It’s meant specifically for someone like me to dive into what they would call meme culture and declare them something so that they get more press.
“So it could just be another bait and switch for researchers who are falling into the same trap that they are designing for more viral exposure.”
2. ‘Hey, fascist! Catch ↑ → ↓↓↓’
When asked by Sky News’ US correspondent James Matthews what the messages on the casings meant, Utah governor Spencer Cox said the writing referring to a fascist “speaks for itself”.
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Engraving on bullet casing ‘speaks for itself’
The second half of the inscription – the directional arrows – were immediately identified by some gamers.
Helldivers 2 players have pointed out that the arrow sequence is the code used to summon a 500kg bomb in the 2024 game – which itself has been interpreted as a satire of fascism.
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3. ‘Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao’
Bella Ciao is a classic Italian song that became a popular anti-fascism anthem during Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship.
It has won renewed popularity in recent years thanks, in part, to featuring multiple times in Netflix’s Spanish television series Money Heist.
A popular remix of Bella Ciao has hit more than 260 million streams on Spotify worldwide and it’s become a favourite on TikTok, as well as within the gaming community.
Read more:
All we know about the suspected assassin
The string of bloody political violence in the MAGA era
4. ‘If you read this, you are gay lmao’
This juvenile insult, using the well-known abbreviation for ‘laughing my ass off’, is a common ‘gotcha’ phrase and simply appears to mock investigators.
The messages, another expert has said, make one thing clear – the suspect was likely seeking fame.
Lindsay Hahn, a University at Buffalo associate professor who researches ideological extremism and the ways in which perpetrators of violence justify their actions, said the messages do not necessarily indicate a specific ideology.
“But what they do indicate, is that the shooter wanted to get a message across and therefore be talked about online,” she told NBC.
“It sort of seems like these messages, at the very minimum, were selected because he knew they were going to be talked about.”
A memorial for right-wing US influencer Charlie Kirk will be held next Sunday, in a stadium that previously hosted the 2023 Super Bowl.
The 31-year-old, who was a close ally of Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday while speaking to university students at an event in Utah.
His appearance at Utah Valley University was part of a planned tour of US college campuses.
A memorial for Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Pic: Reuters
Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, shortly before he was shot. Pic: AP
Turning Point USA, the prominent youth conservative organisation of which Mr Kirk was the president and co-founder, is holding the event at State Farm Stadium outside Phoenix.
The venue is the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and can hold more than 60,000 people.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Washington, Utah, is being held without bail after being arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm and obstruction of justice charges, according to court documents.
The motivation behind the fatal shooting is still unclear, but Utah governor Spencer Cox commented that Robinson described Mr Kirk as “full of hate and spreading hate”.
Robinson is due to make an initial court appearance on Tuesday, when he is also expected to be charged, the Utah County attorney’s office said.
Tyler Robinson. Pic: Utah Governor’s Office
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Suspect’s movements before and after shooting
President Trump, who will be back in the US after his UK state visit next week, has previously said he plans to attend Mr Kirk’s funeral.
Mr Trump has said he will be posthumously awarding Mr Kirk with the nation’s highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mr Kirk’s body was flown back from Salt Lake City to his home state of Arizona on Air Force Two on Thursday, with the US vice president and close friend JD Vance on board.
JD Vance helps carry the coffin of Charlie Kirk from Air Force Two in Arizona
His widow, Erika Kirk, has vowed to continue his campus tour and his radio and podcast shows.
Speaking publicly for the first time in a livestreamed video on Friday, she said: “To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die.”
“It won’t. I refuse to let that happen.”
She said she told her three-year-old daughter: “Daddy went on a work trip with Jesus.”
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Charlie Kirk shooting: What bullet inscriptions mean
Read more: What the engravings on bullets in Charlie Kirk case may refer to
Mr Kirk, who was a father of two, had millions of followers across social media.
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A makeshift memorial to Mr Kirk has been set up at Utah Valley University, with flowers, American flags and handwritten messages left at the main entrance.
The university says there will be increased security when classes resume on Wednesday.
Experts have described engravings left on ammunition at the scene of the Charlie Kirk shooting as “extremely online” – so what do the words and symbols actually mean?
Authorities said on Friday that the suspect accused of fatally shooting the Conservative activist left behind bullet casings featuring references to fascism, video games and internet memes.
Kirk at Utah Valley University where he was shot. Pic: Reuters/The Salt Lake Tribune
To those who aren’t chronically online, the messages may appear to be total gibberish. But for others, specifically gamers, many of the meanings will have immediately been clear.
Here’s what each of the casings reference – and why experts have cautioned against using them to make assumptions about the suspect’s political leanings.
1. ‘notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?’
This writing appears to reference a meme about the furry subculture, which centres on an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters.
Within the furry community, OwO is an emoticon of a cute face (with the Os as the eyes and the w as a cute mouth or nose) and used as a way of flirting – but outside the community, it is often used in a mocking way, or as part of trolling.
It’s incredibly common for phrases used by people who are “extremely online” – which essentially means highly engaged in online culture – to have double or multiple meanings.
For this reason, experts have cautioned against trying to interpret messages such as these engravings to determine an attacker’s political leanings or motive.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What we know about the shooting arrest
Jamie Cohen, an assistant professor of media studies who studies memes at Queens College in New York, said: “Oftentimes this extremely online disguise is meant to be doublespeak.”
Speaking to Sky News’ US partner NBC News, he continued: “It’s meant specifically for someone like me to dive into what they would call meme culture and declare them something so that they get more press.
“So it could just be another bait and switch for researchers who are falling into the same trap that they are designing for more viral exposure.”
2. ‘Hey, fascist! Catch ↑ → ↓↓↓’
When asked by Sky News’ US correspondent James Matthews what the messages on the casings meant, Utah governor Spencer Cox said the writing referring to a fascist “speaks for itself”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Engraving on bullet casing ‘speaks for itself’
The second half of the inscription – the directional arrows – were immediately identified by some gamers.
Helldivers 2 players have pointed out that the arrow sequence is the code used to summon a 500kg bomb in the 2024 game – which itself has been interpreted as a satire of fascism.
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈
3. ‘Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao’
Bella Ciao is a classic Italian song that became a popular anti-fascism anthem during Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship.
It has won renewed popularity in recent years thanks, in part, to featuring multiple times in Netflix’s Spanish television series Money Heist.
A popular remix of Bella Ciao has hit more than 260 million streams on Spotify worldwide and it’s become a favourite on TikTok, as well as within the gaming community.
Read more:
All we know about the suspected assassin
The string of bloody political violence in the MAGA era
4. ‘If you read this, you are gay lmao’
This juvenile insult, using the well-known abbreviation for ‘laughing my ass off’, is a common ‘gotcha’ phrase and simply appears to mock investigators.
The messages, another expert has said, make one thing clear – the suspect was likely seeking fame.
Lindsay Hahn, a University at Buffalo associate professor who researches ideological extremism and the ways in which perpetrators of violence justify their actions, said the messages do not necessarily indicate a specific ideology.
“But what they do indicate, is that the shooter wanted to get a message across and therefore be talked about online,” she told NBC.
“It sort of seems like these messages, at the very minimum, were selected because he knew they were going to be talked about.”
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