Trump’s rage at ‘treasonous leakers’ of weapons shortage claim reveals a deep crisis

Donald Trump likes to boast that Pete Hegseth, the man he plucked from his role as a weekend host on Fox News and made his Defence Secretary, looks like he has come straight out of “central casting”. Hegseth had served in the military, but had little experience of its more senior ranks – instead devoting himself to a TV career following his army service. Trump, though, seemed more interested in what he described as Hegseth’s movie star good looks than his behind-the-scenes experience. The reality TV president had found his camera-friendly defence counterpart. The trouble for Hegseth is that there is nothing reality TV likes more than a fight – and the Washington Post reports that Trump and Hegseth have been locked in some fierce shouting matches indeed. The reports centre on a showdown at the President’s Camp David retreat, during which Trump and Hegseth reportedly clashed over the USA’s rapidly diminishing stockpiles of munitions – particularly those essential for intercepting incoming missiles, vital to defend US bases and allies against attacks. The US has maintained large stockpiles of such defensive weapons against the possibility of future wars with Russia or China, while Ukraine has also been desperate to get its hands on as many as possible to help defend itself against Russia. But the depletion of the US stockpiles caused by its war with Iran has been huge: reports suggest at least 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) air defence missiles were used in the first month of the conflict alone. Both Trump and Hegseth have angrily denied reports of a rift between them, and the President has taken to took to social media to denounce leaks about supposed shortages of missile stocks. “The U. S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions’, especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U. S. as needed,” he said, seeming to deny any shortages. However, the President finished his message by adding “the ‘leakers’” of these treasonous statements are “being hunted down” and “long term jail sentences will be sought!” Trump is contradicting himself here. It can be a criminal offence to leak classified information without authorisation, so in theory Trump could try to punish someone for alerting the media to shortages of vital munitions. However, Trump is claiming the information is false, suggesting someone simply made it up – which wouldn’t be a leak of classified information, and thus would not lead to a jail sentence, “long term” or otherwise. Characteristically, Trump seems to be trying to have it both ways: everything is fine, there is no munitions shortage, nothing to see here – but also people must go to jail for putting the US at risk. Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social (Photo: Donald Trump/Truth Social) Much as Trump and Hegseth might try to deny it, there are clear signs that the President’s patience with his Defence Secretary is fraying. Just as Trump likes TV-friendly cabinet members, he likes TV-friendly wars. Hegseth gave him just that in January, with a swift and daring operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, which ticked all of those boxes. This was everything Trump wanted: a raid he could portray as a rival to the one approved by Obama, which killed Osama bin Laden, to brag about on TV. Seemingly on an adrenaline high from that victory, Trump and Hegseth – who Trump praised because he “likes wars” – launched what they promised would be a similarly rapid military operation against Iran, suggesting that within days they would wipe out its military, destroy its nuclear enrichment operations, and maybe even overthrow the governing regime entirely. It has not worked out that way. Months later, a visibly frustrated Trump has tried and failed repeatedly to get himself and the US out of the conflict, without joy. Hundreds of US personnel have been injured and 20 have been killed, while Iranian deaths are estimated in their thousands. Hegseth has seemed less bothered about ending the quagmire in Iran than with obsessing over minutiae about the aesthetics of the US military. He has found time to block promotions of women and Black military officers, introduced mandatory testosterone screening for soldiers, and abolished exceptions to shaving rules. Busy with all that, he has seemingly not managed to restock the USA’s munitions. Trump is President thanks to the power of TV, and he likes to surround himself with figures from the television – but the magic of TV only goes so far. Earlier this week, Trump clashed with former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington, DC, over her failure to secure prosecutions over damage to the reflecting pool. Now, he is at loggerheads with Pirro’s former Fox News colleague, Hegseth. Both figures owe their political careers to their skill on television. But both must know what is coming – Trump is famous for one phrase, more than any other. The clock is surely ticking down, and soon at least one of them will hear the President’s catchphrase: “you’re fired”.