President Donald Trump on Thursday evening denied reports that he was angry at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying he is 'very satisfied' with his work. In a statement quoted by Yair Goldblatt, Trump also attacked the Washington Post, calling its reporting 'fake news' and 'treason.' He credited Hegseth with achievements including the operation in Venezuela and progress against Iran.
President Donald Trump on Thursday evening issued a statement denying reports that he was angry at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, expressing satisfaction with his work and attacking the Washington Post for what he called 'fake news' and 'treason.' The statement, posted on X and quoted by security analyst Yair Goldblatt, consolidates the president's response to a Washington Post story that claimed Trump was furious at Hegseth over a U.S. missile shortage. Trump credited Hegseth with achievements including the operation in Venezuela that led to the apprehension of Nicolás Maduro, progress against Iran's nuclear program, elimination of DEI programs, and record recruitment levels.
As The Zioneer reported at 19:53 Jerusalem, Trump first denied the anger reports, saying he is 'very satisfied' with Hegseth. In a separate earlier bulletin also published at 19:53 Jerusalem, Trump called the Washington Post report 'completely fake' and accused the paper of 'treason,' while praising the Venezuela operation and stating that Iran's nuclear program 'has been hit hard.' The two reports have now been unified in the president's latest statement, which expands on his defense of Hegseth.
The Washington Post report, which The Zioneer covered at 03:47 Jerusalem on Thursday, detailed a confrontation between Trump and Hegseth at Camp David over missile stockpiles. Both Trump and Hegseth have denied the account. The president's latest statement represents a sharp escalation in his rhetoric against the Post, branding the report as 'treason' — language he has previously used against the New York Times over Iran war coverage, as The Zioneer reported on June 22.
It remains unclear whether the Washington Post will respond to the president's allegations, and the full details of the original missile shortage report remain under review.
3 developments
- DevelopingAmerican report: Hegseth pressured Trump to approve severe strikes on Iran, says no victory picture to show
- DevelopingHegseth sweats through TV interview, body language shows disdain for Trump's Iran deal
- StrongReport: Trump confronted Hegseth over severe US missile shortage, paralyzing Iran strike capabilities
- DevelopingWhite House sources: Trump furious his strikes on Iran are seen as insufficient
Source and signal
- Open-source intake