Trump Dismisses Reports Questioning Hegseth, Praises Defense Secretary's Performance
President says media reports are "completely false," citing military recruitment, Iran campaign, and Venezuela operation as achievements
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday forcefully rejected media reports questioning War Secretary Pete Hegseth's standing, describing the reports as "false and completely unfounded" while praising his defense chief's leadership and recent U.S. military operations.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was "extremely happy" with Hegseth's performance, dismissing reports published by The Washington Post as fabricated.
"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 president highlighted what he described as a series of major accomplishments under Hegseth's leadership, including U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran.
Trump claimed that a U.S. operation against Venezuela was completed in less than a day and resulted in bringing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro "to justice," while asserting that the U.S. campaign against Iran had "decimated" the country to ensure it would never obtain a nuclear weapon.
He also credited Hegseth with increasing military recruitment to what he described as historic levels and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the armed forces.
"Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels," Trump said.
The president accused The Washington Post of knowingly publishing false information despite being informed that its reporting was inaccurate.
"This rumor was started by The Washington ComPost, one of the worst Media Outlets in the business, despite our telling them their story is completely FALSE," Trump wrote, using a mocking nickname for the newspaper.
Trump went on to describe the newspaper's reporting as "treasonous," intensifying his longstanding criticism of major U.S. media organizations.
The remarks come amid renewed scrutiny over the Pentagon's leadership and ongoing U.S. military operations abroad, as the Trump administration continues to defend its national security policies and dismiss criticism from major news outlets.