Mike Waltz flashes signal app knockoff during cabinet meeting before being replaced

Former National Security Advisor White House cabinet meeting. This incident happened just before he was removed from his position.

As reported by The Guardian and ABC, Photos from the meeting showed Waltz using TM SGNL, a customized version of Signal developed by TeleMessage, which includes features for saving and storing messages. The next day, President Trump announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would replace Waltz.

The pictures revealed Waltz messaging several top officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Steve Witkoff, the President’s Middle East envoy. Parts of the messages were visible. One message to Rubio said “there is time,” while a message from Vance mentioned he had “confirmation from my counterpart it’s turned off.” Another message referenced an 8 AM meeting scheduled for “PDB,” likely meaning the President’s Daily Brief.

Mike Waltz seemed to not have learned his lesson

The fact that Waltz used TM SGNL instead of the regular Signal app is a major issue. While the White House claims Signal is “approved for government use and is installed on government phones,” the modified version raises serious security questions. The added feature for storing messages meant to follow presidential record-keeping laws could weaken Signal’s end-to-end encryption, making conversations less secure.

This is not the first time Waltz has been involved in a messaging controversy. In March 2025, he accidentally added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat with other national security officials, where they discussed a U.S. strike on terrorists in Yemen. Although Waltz insisted no classified information was shared and Trump ed him, the incident brought more attention to how he handled sensitive material. The Pentagon’s internal watchdog had previously criticized another official’s use of Signal in 2021 for breaking record-keeping rules.

Currently, Acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense, Steven Stebbins, is investigating Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal related to the Yemen attack, including a separate chat where Hegseth shared attack details with family and his lawyer.

The White House’s claim that Signal is approved conflicts with earlier Pentagon concerns, showing confusion over which communication tools are allowed for sensitive government discussions. The issue is made worse by Republican leaders in Congress stopping Democratic attempts to investigate the Signal chat about the Yemen attack.