Trump Denies Clash with Hegseth, Brands Washington Post Report ‘Treasonous’

President Donald Trump on Thursday forcefully rejected a Washington Post report alleging he clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over U.S. munitions shortages during ongoing operations related to Iran, calling the account false and describing the newspaper’s reporting as treasonous.

In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that the media was spreading “false and completely unfounded rumors.” He wrote: “I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing. Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels.” Trump pointed to successful military actions, including operations involving Venezuela and strikes on Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure, as evidence of strong performance under Hegseth’s leadership.

“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 added.

The Washington Post report, published Wednesday and citing two people familiar with the matter, claimed that Trump confronted Hegseth at Camp David on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting the previous Friday. According to the account, Trump expressed frustration over what he viewed as severe shortages of long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors that could constrain future military options against Iran. The president allegedly told Hegseth he believed the munitions issue “had been fixed” and questioned why he had not been fully informed of the scale of the problem.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued an immediate and detailed denial. “I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly,” Leavitt posted on X. She described the story as a “B.S. story” that had been shopped to multiple outlets by someone seeking to disparage Hegseth and emphasized that the president has “the utmost confidence” in the defense secretary. Leavitt labeled the report “FAKE NEWS” and “100% fake news.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also disputed the claims. He stated that Hegseth “did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture” and rejected assertions of internal disagreements or depleted stockpiles as fictional.

The alleged dispute occurred against the backdrop of sustained U.S. military engagement involving Iran, during which American forces have expended significant quantities of precision munitions and interceptors. Trump has publicly described the campaign as highly successful, while administration officials have highlighted improvements in recruitment and the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from the military under Hegseth’s tenure.

No public comment from Hegseth specifically addressing the Washington Post account was immediately available. The strong, coordinated denials from the president, the White House, and the Pentagon underscore the administration’s position that relations between Trump and Hegseth remain solid and that the reported confrontation did not occur. The episode highlights ongoing tensions between the White House and certain media outlets over coverage of military readiness and decision-making in the Iran-related conflict.