MIXED SIGNAL

Trump Vehemently Denies There’s Been Any Talk of Firing Waltz

The president said, “I don’t fire people because of fake news and witch hunts.”

President Donald Trump claims he doesn’t fire people for ridiculous reasons—which seems to include leaking (potentially) classified information. Following this week’s Signal group chat fiasco, numerous reports have surfaced claiming that the president has quietly contemplated firing national security adviser Mike Waltz, and has even talked with some of his most trusted advisers to get their thoughts on the matter. But Trump is claiming those reports are completely untrue. In response to a question from NBC’s Kristen Welker as to whether he still has confidence in Waltz and defense secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump responded, “I do and I think it’s just a witch hunt and the fake news.” When pressed on the question of whether there had been discussions around firing Waltz or anyone else involved in Signalgate, Trump said, “Nobody else makes that decision but me, and I’ve never heard it... I don’t fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts.” He added, “I have no idea what Signal is. I don’t care what Signal is. All I can tell you is it’s just a witch hunt, and it’s the only thing the press wants to talk about, because you have nothing else to talk about.”