Trump unleashes fury: 'Total Sleazebag' a scathing two-word takedown of Journalist who revealed his war plan chats

President Donald Trump has made a vicious verbal attack on The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, calling him a "total sleazebag." The verbal tirade was prompted by Goldberg's account that he was accidentally added to a White House group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where high-level officials chatted about a possible attack on Iranian-backed Houthis.

The White House strikes back

At a ceremony in the Cabinet Room, Trump came to the defense of National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who was blamed for including Goldberg in the group chat. Trump said that Goldberg's inclusion in the chat was an error on the part of someone else, and that The Atlantic is a "failing magazine" that "made up more stories." Waltz also said he had no acquaintance with Goldberg, saying he never met or had any contact with him.

A heated exchange

Goldberg had earlier written that he had encountered Waltz, who is a former Florida congressman, and it was surprising that Waltz was reaching out to him considering the Trump administration's hostile relationship with journalists. Waltz has since refuted the statement, and the White House has opened up an investigation into how Goldberg found himself in the group chat.