By David Luhnow

and Marcus WalkerMarch 28, 2025 9:00 pm ET

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It was a text message the public was never supposed to see. Vice President JD Vance and other top Trump administration officials were using the messaging app Signal to discuss a planned military strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been disrupting shipping through the Red Sea—a vital commercial route, especially for Europe. 

“I just hate bailing Europe out again,” Vance wrote. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quickly agreed: “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”

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