President Donald Trump pledged to pursue those responsible for leaking information to The Washington Post after a report claimed he became frustrated with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reported weapons shortages during the ongoing Iran war.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Trump grew angry during a meeting at Camp David last week, questioning Hegseth over what the newspaper described as severe munitions shortages that could limit U.S. military options involving Iran.
According to the report, which cited two anonymous sources familiar with the matter who said they feared retaliation, Trump demanded to know why he had allegedly been misled about the state of the nation’s munitions supplies.
The report also claimed Trump expressed frustration to Hegseth, saying he believed the issue surrounding munitions shortages “had been fixed.”
Shortly after midnight Thursday, Trump addressed the report in a post on Truth Social. While criticizing those who leaked information to the newspaper, the president did not directly describe the report itself as “fake news” or specifically deny the report’s claim regarding munitions shortages.
Instead, Trump emphasized that the United States maintains significant weapons stockpiles and that additional production is underway.
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump wrote. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
The president concluded his statement with a warning directed at those he believes provided information to the newspaper.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” Trump wrote. “Long term jail sentences will be sought!”
Trump’s comments followed forceful denials issued earlier by members of his communications team, who rejected The Washington Post’s account of what allegedly occurred during the Camp David meeting.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the newspaper, “This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.”
Leavitt later reiterated that position in a post on X, stating that she personally attended the Camp David meeting alongside Trump and Hegseth.
“I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” Leavitt wrote. “This literally never happened, and we told the Washington Post that repeatedly.”
She went on to characterize the story as an attempt to damage the defense secretary.
“This B.S. story was shopped to many outlets by someone clearly out to disparage the Secretary, for whatever reason,” Leavitt added. “Unfortunately for them, the President loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job. FAKE NEWS!”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also dismissed the newspaper’s reporting. Responding directly to Leavitt’s post on X, Cheung wrote, “FAKE NEWS WASHINGTON POST.”
The dispute unfolded as the war involving Iran has continued for more than five months, with questions surrounding military readiness and weapons supplies drawing heightened public attention.
While Trump’s communications team flatly rejected the newspaper’s reporting, the president’s own Truth Social statement focused primarily on condemning the individuals who allegedly leaked information to the media. In the same post, Trump stressed that the United States possesses substantial quantities of munitions and said defense manufacturers are expanding production capacity by building what he described as the largest number of plants and factories in the nation’s history.
The episode marks the latest public dispute between the Trump administration and a major news outlet as the conflict with Iran continues and scrutiny remains focused on U.S. military capabilities and decision-making.
[READ MORE: Trump Denies U.S. Munitions Shortage Amid Iran Conflict, Vows Crackdown on Leakers]
