Even Republicans Are Worried: 60 Percent Say Signal Leak Is a Serious Issue

A new poll reveals that a vast majority of Americans—including many Republicans—see the Trump administration’s use of Signal chat to discuss military strikes as a serious problem. The findings suggest that efforts by the White House to downplay the controversy have not been successful.

Public concern over security breach

According to a YouGov survey conducted this week, 74% of Americans believe the Signal group chat discussing U.S. military operations in Yemen was a "very" (53%) or "somewhat" (21%) serious issue. Even among Republicans, who generally support Trump, 60% expressed concern, with 28% saying it was a "very serious" problem.

The controversy, now dubbed "Signalgate," erupted after The Atlantic reported that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had accidentally added the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a private group chat where top officials—including President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Intelligence Chief Tulsi Gabbard—were discussing military strikes on Houthi targets.

More serious than Clinton’s emails?

One of the most striking findings in the poll is that more Americans see Signalgate as a serious issue than Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. In past YouGov polls, only 62% of Americans viewed the Clinton email controversy as a serious concern, compared to the 74% who now say the same about Signalgate.

Even Trump's handling of classified documents after his first term was seen as less concerning. In a September 2022 YouGov poll, only 42% of respondents considered that issue to be "very serious."

White House defends actions

Trump and his top officials have denied that any classified material was shared in the chat. However, the controversy has not faded, with growing bipartisan concern over the administration’s handling of sensitive military discussions. While the White House initially believed the issue would die down, the new polling data suggests it may continue to haunt Trump’s national security team.

With Republicans now breaking ranks to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation, the administration may face increasing pressure to address the fallout from Signalgate.