Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, was photographed using a modified version of Signal during a White House cabinet meeting, revealing his communications with top Trump administration officials. This incident occurred a day before his removal from the role, sparking concerns about the handling of sensitive information. Waltz's use of Signal, although approved for government phones, has been controversial due to previous incidents of security breaches. President Trump ultimately replaced Waltz with Marco Rubio and advised against using Signal for sensitive government communications. Waltz's reassignment to ambassador to the United Nations followed criticism over his handling of classified information.

A Reuters photographer captured Michael Waltz using a modified version of the messaging app Signal during a White House cabinet meeting, showing his conversations with high-ranking officials like Vice President JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and Steve Witkoff.

The modified Signal app used by Waltz, provided by TeleMessage, retains message copies to comply with government record-keeping rules, which raised questions about the security of potentially sensitive information.

This incident added to Waltz's scrutiny following a previous mistake in March where he accidentally included a journalist in a group chat discussing a military operation, prompting calls for his resignation.

Despite the controversy, President Trump was initially hesitant to remove Waltz, as he did not want to appear yielding to media pressure but eventually replaced him with Marco Rubio as interim national security adviser.

Trump advised against using Signal for government communications, citing its unsuitability for sensitive information, even though it is an approved app for government phones.

Waltz's reassignment to the role of ambassador to the United Nations came amidst ongoing debates over the security protocols and the handling of classified information by government officials.

The White House communications director confirmed Signal's approval for government use, but the incident fueled ongoing discussions about communication security and the protocols for handling sensitive government information.