Photos show Trump cabinet member using insecure Signal app clone
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Photos taken by Reuters reveal top Trump officials using a modified Signal app during a cabinet meeting, exposing the security flaws in the Trump administration.
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National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington (AP)
Photos from Trump's cabinet meeting this week show officials using an even less secure Signal app version, following a recent national security scandal over the messaging platform, which ended with the ousting of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
The images, captured by Reuters on Wednesday, show the phone screen of Mike Waltz, the former national security advisor, who recently mistakenly added a journalist to a group chat where top US officials discussed plans to bomb Yemen, attacks that were later executed as outlined.
The photos reveal Waltz's messages with contacts including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been central to Ukraine negotiations with Putin.
The app visible on Waltz's phone appears to be TM SGNL, a modified version of Signal developed by a company known for cloning messaging apps while adding message retention and archiving features, which White House officials may be using to comply with presidential record-keeping laws.
According to 404 Media, the app seems to be a TeleMessage product, a company known for creating modified versions of popular messaging platforms with added archiving features.
404 Media reports that this functionality implies the end-to-end encryption, which gives Signal its reputation for secure private communications, may be compromised, since messages could potentially be retrieved after being stored externally.
The photo reveals limited message content but shows one text to Rubio, likely the secretary of state Marco Rubio, reading "there is time," and another from Vance, presumably the vice president JD Vance, stating, "I have confirmation from my counterpart it's turned off. He is going to be here in..."
The photo also suggests Waltz called Gabbard via Signal while his phone's calendar showed an 8 am "PDB" appointment, likely referring to the president's daily briefing.
Trump fires Waltz over Signal fiasco
President Donald Trump removed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Thursday, appointing Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the interim replacement in the first significant reshuffle of his administration's inner circle since January's inauguration.
Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were both fired, and more removals are expected to take place.
President Donald Trump removed National Security Advisor Mike Waltz following an alleged Signal leak, then nominated him as UN Ambassador, while announcing Secretary of State Marco Rubio would concurrently serve as National Security Advisor.
"Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN," Trump declared on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Previously, the Trump administration stood by Mike Waltz amid the SignalGate scandal, with the US President claiming that that controversy was a "witch hunt" and proclaiming that he does not "fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts," in an interview for NBC News on March 30.
