Trump's top team rips into America's European allies - saying they 'loathe' having to 'bail out' the 'pathetic free-loaders': Astonishing text messages are leaked in security shambles that saw journalist added to war plans group

Bombshell leaked messages have revealed the level of the contempt some of Donald Trumps key cabinet members feel for their free-loading European allies.

Since Trump returned to the White House, visible gaps have opened up in the relationship between Europe and the States - with the future of Ukraine a particular bone of contention. 

But secret Signal exchanges mistakenly sent to Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine, show the depth of the hostility on the US side. 

Goldberg revealed that Trumps national security team added him to their group chat, which contains a large volume of highly classified information, and published details of the conversation on Monday.

In the exchanges, the user identified as JD Vance wrote that Andy baker for VP was messaging for the vice president.

That is presumably a reference to Andrew Baker, a national security advisor who has played a key role in shaping Vance’s foreign policy positions, especially his opposition to US aid to Ukraine and his skepticism of NATO.  

The Signal conversation was initially centred around the military strikes against Houthi strongholds in Yemen, which started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting Israeli ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip.

In the chats the JD Vance user expresses concerns about the strikes but ultimately agrees to go along with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseths plan - before adding I just hate bailing Europe out again.

The secret Signal messages were mistakenly sent to Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine

In the the leaked exchanges US Vice President JD Vance is seen to remark: I just hate bailing Europe out again

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told the user standing-in for JD Vance: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC

To which Hegseth responds: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.

The Signal group served as a virtual war room for some of the top players in the Trump White House, including JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, secretary of state Marco Rubio, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, national security advisor Mike Waltz and Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles.

According to The Atlantic editor-in-chief Goldberg, the messages featured information that could easily have been weaponised by enemies of the United States to harm their personnel and assets. 

Goldberg wrote: 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. 

What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing. 

The chats were confirmed as legitimate by the US government but a White House spokesperson said it was a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. 

Asking by reporters about the leaked messages, the US President on Monday told reporters at the White House that he hadnt seen The Atlantic story revealing the details of the group chat.

Looking nonplussed, Trump said: I dont know anything about it. Im not a big fan of The Atlantic. Its to me, its a magazine thats going out of business.

The group chat was accidentally shared with Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine

Asking by reporters about the leaked messages, the US President on Monday told reporters at the White House he hadnt seen The Atlantic story revealing the details of the group chat

Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton responded to news of the leaked messages on X, saying You have got to be kidding me

Former Democratic Party presidential candidate and long term Trump adversary Hillary Clinton responded to news of the leaked messages on X, saying You have got to be kidding me. 

However, the exchanges do show some interesting differences of opinion between some of the best-known figures in the current administration.  

In the leaked messages, Vice President JD Vance advises against a military strike in Yemen. 

Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake, the Vance user stated to the group. 

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, the Vance user continued.

The military strike against the Houthis, the team argued, was necessary to keep shipping lanes open on the Red Sea, as the insurgents were targeting ships. 

Vances account expressed concerns about the timing of the proposed operation, warning of oil prices spiking as a result.

I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now, he wrote. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices.

A US ship fires a missile after US President Donald Trump, in a post on social media, vowed to use overwhelming lethal force against the Houthis

A plume of smoke billows during a US strike on Yemens Houthi-held capital Sanaa early on March 16, 2025

The Vance user said that he would remain publicly silent about his concerns, but expressed them to the team.

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, he said.

Vances communications director William Martin said the vice president remained aligned with Trumps decision, but wanted to make sure he was properly briefed by his advisors.

The Vice President’s first priority is always making sure that the President’s advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations, he said in a statement. 

Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration’s foreign policy. The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement.

In the chat, the Hegseth user said he understood Vances concerns and urged him to raise them with the president, but argued for immediate action.

We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should, he wrote.

The Walz user also said the United States would have to act and reminded Vance that "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."

US aircrafts taking off from aircraft carrier as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces carry out precision airstrikes kicking off a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi targets across Yemen

If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again, the Vance user replied.

The SM user, identified in the article as Trumps advisor Steve Miller, reminded the group about the presidents goal.

As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return, he wrote.

Trump ultimately ordered the strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen over the weekend from his club at Mar-a-lago in a successful mission.

The relationship between Trump and his European counterparts has been one of wariness and conflict even before the real estate mogul was sworn in as the 47th president. 

The US leaders team told European officials in December that the bloc would have to more than double its spending target of two per cent - a target which over a quarter of its members were on course to fail to meet.

Trump called for European nations to up their military budgets to 5 per cent of GDP - far higher than the USs own defence spending.

The two-term president also said in February 2024 that he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want with any of the 32 NATO member states who failed to meet such ambitious defence spending targets.   

President Trumps close advisor Elon Musk has consistenly called for the US to leave NATO

However, even back in Mr Trumps first term there were multiple signs that the real estate mogul was ready to resort to more drastic measures. 

Senior officials in the first Trump administration said that their boss spoke numerous times in private over the course of 2018 about his desire to withdraw from NATO, The New York Times reported. 

While he has so far avoided actively calling for the US to exit the North Atlantic alliance, that position is one favoured by several close members of his team including DOGE head honcho Elon Musk and Utah senator Mike Lee. 

Trumps vice president JD Vance had some European ministers in tears back in February after he argued that free speech and democratic institutions were being eroded across the continent in an address to the Munich Security Conference.

He accused European politicians of forcing people to shut down social media accounts and urged leaders to do more to stem illegal immigration.

Vance reserved particular scorn for the UK, citing the case of a British man arrested after praying near an abortion clinic.

Europe faces many challenges, but the crisis this continent faces right now, the crisis I believe we all face together, is one of our own making, he said.

If youre running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump.

JD Vance had some European ministers in tears back in February after he argued that free speech and democratic institutions were being eroded across the European continent in an address to leaders at the Munich Security Conference

President Trumps brinkmanship over the Ukraine-Russia conflict has also been a source of consternation for European leaders.

After initially claiming that he would stop the war on his first day in office, that timeline was quickly extended - with tempers flairing on several occasions. 

Last month Trump called Zelensky a dictator when speaking at a Saudi-backed investment meeting in Florida after talks between the US and Ukrainian president broke down following Trumps insistence on including mineral rights in any prospective deal - but without the promise of a security guarantee for Ukraine.

But only a week later, when asked about that comment, Trump glibly told reporters in the Oval Office: Did I say that? I cant believe I said that. Next question. 

However, things took an even more calamitous turn for the worse following Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskys dramatic bust-up with Vance and Trump in the Oval Office. 

While European leaders have sought to mend bridges between the two sides, there is no question that this in the most fractured the Euro-US alliance has been in decades.