'Extremely Happy With Pete': Trump Dismisses Report Of Camp David Clash With Hegseth As 'Fake'
News world 'Extremely Happy With Pete': Trump Dismisses Report Of Camp David Clash With Hegseth As 'Fake' 'Extremely Happy With Pete': Trump Dismisses Report Of
News world 'Extremely Happy With Pete': Trump Dismisses Report Of Camp David Clash With Hegseth As 'Fake' 'Extremely Happy With Pete': Trump Dismisses Report Of Camp David Clash With Hegseth As 'Fake' Published By, Last Updated: August 06, 2026, 23:08 IST Donald Trump dismissed a Washington Post report claiming he confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over US weapons shortages, calling the story "completely false". Rapid Read US President Donald Trump dismissed a report claiming he confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over depleted weapons stockpiles, calling it "completely false". (IMAGE: REUTERS) US President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed as “fake" a report that he confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over depleted US weapons stockpiles during a meeting at Camp David, insisting he has “the utmost confidence" in his Pentagon chief. Responding to a report by The Washington Post, Trump said on Truth Social that he was “extremely happy" with Hegseth’s performance and accused the newspaper of spreading “false and completely unfounded rumours." “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. He praised Hegseth’s handling of military operations, including the administration’s campaigns in Venezuela and Iran, saying both had achieved their objectives. Trump also credited the defence secretary with increasing military recruitment and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes. Calling The Washington Post “one of the worst media outlets in the business", Trump said the newspaper had been informed that its report was “completely FALSE" before publication and described the reporting as “treasonous." The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, had reported that Trump expressed frustration with Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David last week over alleged shortages of key munitions, including long-range missiles and air-defence interceptors, which it said were affecting US military options in the Iran conflict.
According to the report, Hegseth denied misleading the president and blamed Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg for not fully apprising Trump of the situation. The report also claimed the exchange reflected Trump’s growing frustration with his defence secretary as the Iran conflict placed increasing pressure on US weapons stockpiles. The White House and the Pentagon rejected the report. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the account “literally never happened" and that Trump had “the utmost confidence" in Hegseth. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also denied the claims, saying Hegseth had not misled anyone about US munitions levels or blamed Feinberg for any shortages. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a chief sub editor at News18.
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