Washington, D.C. – Retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, former national security adviser to President Trump, received a surprising phone call one month ago that left him taken aback. Despite being ousted by Trump after 13 months in his role, McMaster was contacted by the White House, instructing him to stand by for the president. The call came just a day after Trump publicly criticized McMaster on social media, calling him a “weak and totally ineffective loser.”
During the call, Trump initially mistook McMaster for someone else, addressing him as “Henry” instead of his actual name, H.R. McMaster. The conversation took a negative turn as Trump expressed his disdain for McMaster, leading to a brief exchange between the two. Sources revealed that Trump had actually intended to call South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, causing confusion over the mixed-up recipient of the call.
The incident with McMaster is just one of many recent communication blunders in the White House. An aide working with the president was responsible for dialing the wrong McMaster, highlighting potential issues with internal communications. Despite the mix-up, a White House official declined to comment on the private call or confirm its occurrence. In response to the situation, statements from both the White House communications director and McMaster himself reflected the strained relationship between the two parties.
This mistaken phone call occurred shortly before another mishap involving Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg being mistakenly added to a group chat with top Trump national security advisers. The group chat inadvertently included sensitive information about U.S. military strikes in Yemen, leading to criticism and acknowledgment of responsibility by current national security adviser Mike Waltz. These incidents shed light on the challenges and risks associated with effective communication and confidentiality within the administration.