On Monday local time, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, made a revelation that shocked the entire American public opinion. According to him, senior U.S. national security officials had previously pulled him into a Signal group chat about a military strike against the Houthis in Yemen, and he learned of the secret air strike plan two hours before the U.S. military operation.
As soon as this incident broke out, it quickly triggered widespread concerns in Washington about the government's procedures for protecting sensitive defense information.
What may make the whole situation even more dramatic is that Trump has long been at odds with Goldberg himself and the Atlantic magazine to which he belongs. He has even called Goldberg a "despicable person", "liar" and "dirty reporter" at rallies and on social media many times...
At present, White House officials have confirmed the authenticity of the group chat information disclosed by Goldberg, but denied that the content is classified material. There is no doubt that this incident has also worsened the relationship between the White House and Goldberg. Just as members of Congress questioned the legality and security of the White House team's use of Signal communications, the Trump team directly targeted Goldberg, who sparked the public opinion storm.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters on Monday that Goldberg is a "deceptive, discredited so-called journalist who makes a career out of peddling scams" and said "this person specializes in junk news." White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt posted an article on the X platform, accusing Goldberg of being "known for his inflammatory reporting."
Trump also told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that "The Atlantic" is a "failed magazine," and said of Goldberg: "He has made up a lot of fake news. I think this person is essentially harmful to the country."
In response, a spokesperson for The Atlantic responded that these slanderous remarks exposed the hostility of those in power towards the press and the First Amendment. “Attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editors, and our reporting are a clear ploy by White House officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans.”
The “history of grudges” between Goldberg and Trump
Judging from his career resume, Goldberg joined "The Atlantic" in 2007 as a reporter in the field of national affairs, and became the editor-in-chief of the magazine in 2016, often writing articles on foreign affairs and domestic politics. Under his leadership, the magazine won several Pulitzer Prizes and its readership increased significantly.
The magazine has also repeatedly expressed concerns about Trump's suitability for leadership, saying he has authoritarian tendencies and disregards democratic norms.
The most iconic incident: In September 2020, Goldberg reported that Trump referred to soldiers killed in World War I as "losers" and "suckers," citing multiple anonymous sources who said they heard the remarks.
Trump quickly denied and refuted the report, but his chief of staff at the time confirmed that he had indeed said those words.
Soon after, Trump posted on social media that The Atlantic was "a failed magazine of the radical left" and called Goldberg a "scumbag." On Tuesday, he used the same epithet again at the White House.
How did the White House bring its archenemy into a group chat?
At present, the biggest doubt in the outside world is undoubtedly how Goldberg, who is regarded by Trump as a "dirty reporter" in the media circle, was dragged into the group chat by White House officials?
The blame obviously falls on National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Mike Waltz), who pulled him into the group chat.
In fact, even Goldberg said in an interview this week that he was surprised and somewhat amused when he first received the message that Waltz had invited him to join the group.
"It's a little unusual because we, and I personally in particular, have had tense relationships with certain people in the Trump administration, especially with Trump himself," Goldberg said.
It is reported that Walz has been privately criticized by some government officials after the incident. But Trump signaled on Tuesday that he would still support Walz, saying in an interview that "Michael Walz has learned his lesson and he's a good guy."