‘Treasonous’: Trump Slams Washington Post, Denies Hegseth Rift Over Munitions Shortfall

US President Donald Trump has strongly denied a Washington Post report claiming he clashed with War Secretary Pete Hegseth over dwindling US missile stockpiles during the Iran conflict, branding the newspaper’s reporting treasonous.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump rejected the report that alleged tensions surfaced during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David over shortages of key munitions that could constrain future military operations.

“The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” Trump wrote.

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The president praised Hegseth’s leadership, citing what he described as successful military operations in Venezuela and Iran, while also crediting him with boosting military recruitment and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

“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. In actuality, I really believe their fake ‘reporting’ is treasonous!” Trump said.

The Washington Post had reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that Trump questioned Hegseth during a Camp David meeting over what he viewed as severe shortages of long-range guided missiles and air-defence interceptors. According to the report, the concerns influenced deliberations on whether the US could sustain additional large-scale military strikes against Iran.

While rejecting the report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she was present at Camp David and denied that any confrontation took place.

“I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly,” Leavitt said in a post on X, calling the report “FAKE NEWS.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also disputed the claims. “We told the Washington Post the same thing. They ran with the fake, anonymously sourced BS anyway. Complete & total Fake News,” Parnell wrote on X.

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The Washington Post report said concerns over munitions shortages have intensified as the US expands military operations in West Asia. It noted that the Pentagon has used significant quantities of cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles and air-defence interceptors during the conflict with Iran, raising questions about inventory levels and the ability to support allies, including Ukraine.

The report also claimed Hegseth denied misleading Trump on the state of US weapons stockpiles and rejected suggestions of internal disagreements over Iran strategy.

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