Trump Calls Camp David Clash Report ‘Fake’, Says He’s ‘Extremely Happy’ With Hegseth

US President Donald Trump on Thursday strongly denied reports of a confrontation.

With Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over dwindling US weapons stockpiles, calling the claims “fake” and reaffirming his confidence in the Pentagon chief.

Responding to a report by The Washington Post, Trump took to Truth Social to dismiss the allegations as “false and completely unfounded rumours,” saying he remained “extremely happy” with Hegseth’s performance.

“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.

The US president praised Hegseth for overseeing military operations, highlighting the administration’s actions in Venezuela and Iran. He also credited the defence secretary with boosting military recruitment and rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the armed forces.

Trump further lashed out at The Washington Post, describing it as “one of the worst media outlets in the business.” He claimed the publication had been informed that its story was “completely FALSE” before it was published and went on to label the reporting “treasonous.”

The newspaper, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that Trump questioned Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David over alleged shortages of key munitions, including long-range missiles and air-defence interceptors. According to the report, the issue had raised concerns about the US military’s readiness amid the ongoing Iran conflict.

The report also alleged that Hegseth denied withholding information from the president and instead pointed to Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg for failing to fully brief Trump on the weapons inventory. It further claimed the episode reflected mounting pressure on the Pentagon as the Iran conflict strained US military stockpiles.

However, both the White House and the Pentagon categorically rejected the report. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the alleged exchange “literally never happened” and reiterated that Trump has “the utmost confidence” in Hegseth. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also dismissed the claims, insisting Hegseth neither misrepresented the state of US munitions nor blamed Feinberg for any shortages.