• President Donald Trump spoke with NBC News on Saturday about impending auto tariffs and the Signal leak.
• Trump said he "couldn't care less" if foreign carmakers raise prices after his tariffs hit.
• He also suggested that he would not be firing anyone over the Signal group chat scandal.

President Donald Trump has said that he "couldn't care less" if foreign carmakers raise prices after his impending tariffs take effect and suggested that he has no plans to fire any officials linked to the Signal group chat scandal.

Speaking to NBC News on Saturday, Trump denied that he had warned foreign automaker CEOs not to raise prices after levies on imported automobiles come into effect early next month.

"No, I never said that. I couldn't care less if they raise prices, because people are going to start buying American-made cars," Trump said.

"If you make your car in the United States, you're going to make a lot of money. If you don't, you're going to have to probably come to the United States, because if you make your car in the United States, there is no tariff," he added.

Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs since returning to the White House, largely targeting Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as the steel and aluminum industries.

But on Wednesday, the president turned his attention to the auto sector, announcing a new 25% tariff on all imported vehicles and certain automobile parts set to come into effect on April 3.

"This will continue to spur growth like you haven't seen before," Trump said in the Oval Office before signing the executive order, which said that cars and car parts were being imported into the US "in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States."

The announcement has fueled warnings of retaliation from some US trading partners.

"We must consider steps to respond appropriately. We have all possible options on the table," Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told the country's parliament this week.

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump addressed the Signal texting scandal that dominated headlines after The Atlantic's editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he had been mistakenly added to a group chat where senior US officials — including Defense secretary Pete Hegseth — discussed plans to carry out military strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The incident sparked concern among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, with some calling for Michael Waltz, the national security adviser who added Goldberg to the group, to be fired.

But Trump appears to have come down on Waltz's side, telling NBC: "I don't fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts."

Trump added that he still had confidence in Waltz and Hegseth and said the strikes were "tremendously successful."

• The high-ranking officials of the "Houthi PC small group" chat each have a group text personality type.
• You probably don't talk about bombings, but you might recognize these types with your own friends.
• I'm a JD Vance type.

For a moment, let's pretend that the Signal group chat among high-ranking government officials about a Houthi strike isn't about bombs or war and killing humans. Let's pretend it's about something more relatable to those of us who don't typically discuss war plans globally important stuff.

Something like picking a restaurant for a group dinner or planning a group gift for a friend's wedding or baby shower. Maybe something work-related or a group school project.

From that less dire perspective, I started looking at the Houthi strike text chain again. And the personality types looked familiar to me — I even saw myself.

Reading over the full group chat logs, I realized that I was the JD Vance character in my own group chats. (This is not a compliment, and I have some soul-searching to do.)

The Signal group chat, "Houthi PC small group" started by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who seemingly accidentally added The Atlantic's editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg, allows us a rare glimpse into the apparent inner workings of military and global policy.

It also gives us a window into the Group Chat Personality Types of a bunch of important government officials.

Which group chat personality are you?

So, let's figure out each person's type — and see if you can identify yourself like I did.

(One caveat: These group chat types are not meant as a reflection of the person's actual personality — just what I see as their chatting style. In fact, some of these contradict what I'd have guessed about some of these people's personality types based on other public information.)

Michael Waltz, national security advisor: The chaotic initiator. Wants credit for having started the group but contributes little actual work. Uses tons of acronyms and slang that not everyone in the group understands. Refers to people outside the group by just a first name in a way that feels name-droppy. Doesn't use full sentences and uses boomer-y abbreviations like "Pls" and "Thx" that suggest he might be using a phone without autocomplete turned on. Over-the-top emoji usage.

Pete Hegseth, defense secretary: The organized one. Voice of reason who has to keep the group project back on track. Uses flattery and mirroring language to keep reining in the wildcards who try to derail things and start trouble.

This is the person in the group chat who will actually send the calendar invite and make the reservation at the restaurant. Also the person who will figure out what everyone owes on Venmo.

Abuses the line breaks and takes up a ton of real estate with each message.

JD Vance, vice president: The derailer. Stumbles in half-aware of what's going on, makes an excuse for why they can't really be involved in the planning, and then — once the plan is nearly set — chimes in with some last-minute objection.

This is the person who suggests, "What if we all did takeout at my place?" after everyone has agreed on a restaurant. Overly casual, emotional, and says stuff that's weirdly too personal. Makes it all about themselves.

(I hate to realize it, but this is 100% me.)

John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA: The credit-seeker. This is the person who didn't read the book for the group project but is trying to make sure they chime in to get credit for it. They might offer to do the coloring on the posterboard, for example.

Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff: The lurker. Gives a really big "wow thanks everyone!" only after all the work is done.

Marco Rubio, secretary of state: The weird typist. Barely talks and, when they do, uses strange punctuation and capitalization. No one is sure how to read it.

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center: The non-confrontational one. Doesn't want to get into an argument in the main group but thinks someone else is extremely wrong. Will undoubtedly start DMing people on the side about it.

Stephen Miller, White House senior advisor: The usurping side-quester. Comes in late and tries to take control. Brings up some existential conversations that are only vaguely related and bigger than the task at hand. This is the person who starts suggesting the benefits of a 529 contribution instead of everyone chipping in for the stroller system that was on the baby registry.

Steve Witkoff, special envoy: The emoji lover. Communicates almost exclusively in emojis or iMessage thumbs-up reactions.

Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence: The person who had the thread muted the whole time and only chimes in way later.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic: The leaker. The one in the group who spills all the gossip.

Top Trump officials included the editor of the Atlantic in a Signal group chat discussing plans to strike Houthis in Yemen. We explore Washington's reaction in this video collaboration between Politico and Business Insider.

• The editor in chief of The Atlantic was mistakenly added to a group chat with security officials.
• Jeffrey Goldberg said he was privy to the Trump administration's planned strikes on Yemen.
• The apparent breach has drawn alarm and criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

In an explosive new report, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg says he was mistakenly added to a group chat on the messaging platform Signal in which top US leaders discussed sensitive military operations, including the Trump administration's strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The story — which details what appears to be a massive security breach at the highest levels of the government — sent shockwaves through Washington on Monday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for a full investigation into the incident.

"Amateur behavior. This kind of security breach is how people get killed. How our enemies take advantage. How our national security falls into danger," he wrote on X on Monday.

President Donald Trump told reporters he hadn't heard about the incident.

"I don't know anything about it," he said on Monday.

'Sounds like a huge screwup'

In the story, Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, said Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and State Secretary Marco Rubio were all in the Signal group.

The group chat was called "Houthi PC small group," with "PC" standing for "principals committee," Goldberg wrote. The National Security Council confirmed to multiple news organizations that the chat group was authentic. Business Insider could not immediately reach the agency for comment.

Hegseth disputed Goldberg's report.

"Nobody was texting war plans, and that's all I have to say about that," he told reporters.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Trump administration was addressing the incident.

"Apparently, an inadvertent phone number made it onto that thread. They are going to track that down and make sure that doesn't happen again," Johnson said.

"What you did see, though, I think, was top-level officials doing their job, doing it well, and executing on a plan with precision," Johnson added. "That mission was a success, no one was jeopardized because of it, we're grateful for that. But they will certainly, I'm sure, make sure that won't happen again."

Other top Republicans, including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, expressed alarm at the incident.

"Sounds like a huge screw-up," Cornyn told reporters, adding that he hoped the government would further investigate and that "somebody dropped the ball." He sits on the intelligence committee.

Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Hill the panel is "very concerned" and intends to investigate.

The strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels discussed in the chat were carried out on March 16.

Democratic lawmakers slam Trump administration

The leaked war plans drew swift condemnation from Democratic leaders.

On Monday night, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X that his party "will grill several national security officials under oath this week."

"The arrogance and incompetence of the Trump administration is stunning," Jeffries wrote.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement on Monday that the leak "represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen."

"Classified war plans don't belong in the group chat. The carelessness of Pres. Trump's national security team is stunning & dangerous. I'm seeking answers & accountability," Reed wrote on X on Monday.

The events described in Goldberg's reporting present serious implications for operational security in the Trump administration and potentially the Pentagon. Signal, an encrypted messaging app, is not an approved government platform for disseminating intelligence or classified information.

Representatives for the White House, the Defense Department, and Signal did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.