- US President Donald Trump denied confronting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over weapons shortages
- Trump praised Hegseth's military leadership and reforms in a post on Truth Social
- Trump accused The Washington Post of spreading fake news and labelled their reporting "treasonous"
US President Donald Trump has forcefully denied a report claiming he confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over dwindling US weapons stockpiles during a recent meeting at Camp David, calling the story "completely FALSE" and reaffirming his confidence in his Pentagon chief.
The denial came after a report alleged that Trump had privately questioned Hegseth over shortages of critical munitions that were limiting America's military options in the Iran conflict.
'I Am Extremely Happy': Trump Defends Hegseth
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump dismissed the report as another example of "fake news" and praised Hegseth's performance in office.
"The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing," he wrote.
Trump highlighted what he described as successful military operations under Hegseth, pointing to campaigns in Venezuela and Iran.
"Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela, where the result was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice! Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well!"
The president also praised Hegseth for reforms within the military.
"Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels", he wrote.
Trump Targets The Washington Post
Trump reserved some of his strongest criticism for The Washington Post, accusing the newspaper of knowingly publishing false information.
"This rumor was started by The Washington ComPost, one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE", he wrote.
He went a step further by adding, "In actuality, I really believe their fake 'reporting' is treasonous!"
What The Report Claimed
The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Trump became frustrated during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David last week over alleged shortages of long-range missiles and air-defence interceptors.
According to the report, the president questioned Hegseth about the state of US weapons stockpiles as the conflict with Iran continued to put pressure on military resources.
The newspaper further claimed Hegseth denied misleading Trump and instead blamed Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg for failing to fully brief the president. It also suggested the exchange reflected growing tensions between Trump and his defence secretary.
White House, Pentagon Reject Allegations
The report was swiftly rejected by both the White House and the Pentagon.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the reported confrontation "literally never happened" and insisted Trump has "the utmost confidence" in Hegseth.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also dismissed the claims, saying Hegseth had neither misled the president about US munitions levels nor blamed Feinberg for any alleged shortages. He described the report as inaccurate and denied that such an exchange had taken place.
