John Bolton Outlines Why Trump Hasn't Fired Anyone Yet After Signalgate: 'He Doesn't Feel The Heat'

Former national security adviser John Bolton said he doesn't believe administration officials will yet lose their jobs as a result of Signalgate, the discussing of highly sensitive matters on the messaging app and the inadvertent addition of a journalist to the chat, because President Donald Trump is not "feeling the heat."

Speaking to Politico, Bolton said that as long as that is the case, "nobody will be investigated for anything and they won't lose their jobs, at least in the short term."

Bolton did detail which are some telltale signs that could anticipate such a decision: "One thing that's typical of Trump is he starts asking people, his friends and associates outside the government, 'Hey, what do you think of this guy?'" the former official explained.

He went on to say that "if somebody gets feedback that Trump's asking the membership of Mar-a-Lago or other well-placed individuals what they think of them, that's not good."

NBC News reported on Thursday that Trump has been expressing frustration with national security adviser Mike Waltz, who added The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the group chat discussing imminent attacks against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The outlet added that Trump is not only angry at the fumble, but also that the special election called to replace him in the House of Representatives is shaping up to be more competitive than expected.

Moreover, a majority of Republicans believe that Signalgate is a serious problem, according to a new survey. Concretely, a poll by YouGov showed that 60% of Republicans said that was the case in their view. The figure is lower than the 72% of Independents and 89% of Democrats, but conveys the seriousness of the matter even among President Donald Trump's most staunch supporters.

The White House has been relying on one word to reject the reporting by The Atlantic about top officials discussing highly-sensitive military operations on Signal: that it's latest article revealing the content of the conversation, which included real-time updates, uses the word "attack" in the headline rather than "war."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X on Wednesday that "The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans.'" "This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin," Leavitt added.

Waltz has said he is taking "full responsibility" for the inclusion of Goldberg in the chat, saying that he "built the group" and his job is "to make sure everything is coordinated."