Trump Dismisses Latest Hegseth Revelations: ‘I Don’t View Signal as Important’

President Donald Trump dismissed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of a commercial communication app as not important on Friday.

The Pentagon head is facing another round of scrutiny over his reported widespread use of the Signal app to discuss potentially sensitive or classified information.

Trump was speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One as he prepared to land in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, when a journalist asked about Hegseth:

REPORTER: Mr. President, any update on Secretary Hegseth? Your confidence in him?

TRUMP: About what?

REPORTER: About Signal – having Signal on his –

TRUMP: I don’t view Signal as important. I think that’s fake news. So, I don’t view it as important.

Hegseth is facing new scrutiny over his use of the messaging app to discuss classified military operations from both his personal phone and reportedly also a Pentagon computer.

The New York Times reported Thursday, “Hegseth had the consumer messaging app Signal set up on a computer in his office at the Pentagon so that he could send and receive instant messages in a space where personal cellphones are not permitted.”

The former Fox News host allegedly cloned Signal from his phone onto a desktop in his office, circumventing Defense Department cybersecurity protocols.

His use of the app came to light when he was in a Signal group chat with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic that was first reported last month.

Hegseth also reportedly communicated via Signal with his wife, brother, and a personal attorney. In that group chat, those involved reportedly discussed sensitive issues.

The Pentagon’s inspector general is currently conducting a formal review, but Trump is not expected to let Hegseth go over the breach in protocol.

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