President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports of internal conflict in his administration over depleted U.S. ammunition stocks, saying the United States has enormous amounts of ammunition.
DR reports that Trump dismissed the accounts both in a social media post and at a White House press session. Stories about shrinking American weapons stores after the war with Iran have put the administration under pressure in recent days.
The reporting began with The Washington Post, which wrote Wednesday, citing anonymous sources, that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed at Camp David. According to the newspaper, Trump became angry because he felt he had not been properly briefed on the low stockpiles.
Trump denied that account in a post on Truth Social. He wrote that he is extremely satisfied with Hegseth’s work and called the report baseless. He also used a mocking nickname for the newspaper and said its journalism amounted to treason.
CNN reported Thursday, also based on anonymous sources, that Trump had been aware of potential ammunition problems for months. According to CNN, he was therefore not surprised by the reports, but was angry that the information had leaked. In his view, the leak weakens the U.S. position toward Iran at a decisive point in the conflict.
CNN had earlier reported that the U.S. military has used almost 80 percent of its THAAD interceptor missiles and about half of its Patriot interceptors since the war with Iran began. The outlet described Pentagon holdings of certain munitions as dangerously low. As DR notes, those details rest on anonymous sources and are not confirmed.
At the White House on Thursday evening, a reporter asked Trump why the Defense Department has requested an additional appropriation of $21 billion, partly for weapons purchases, if supplies are sufficient. Trump answered that the United States will always want more weapons, but rejected the idea that the country is in a weak position. He said the supply is unlimited and that the U.S. is in good shape.
What DR’s correspondent says about the timing
DR’s U.S. correspondent, Trine Maria Ilsøe, assessed that the coverage arrives at a very inconvenient moment for the president. She pointed out that Trump only days earlier said he would give Iran a last chance to reach a peace deal, and otherwise strike really hard militarily.
Per Ilsøe, one sign of pressure is that Trump has called for those who leaked the information to be punished as traitors, without confirming the reports themselves. She added that the stories have dominated American media coverage. Trump has said that any shortage would be the responsibility of the Biden administration.
