President Donald Trump has privately complained in recent days that disclosures on the dwindling US munitions stockpile make the United States look weak at a critical juncture, senior US officials said, as he repeatedly threatens additional military action to try and motivate Iran to agree to a deal.
The topic was front and center during last week’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David, when a frustrated Trump raised media coverage of the low munitions stocks, according to six sources familiar with the meeting. Many of those people said Trump has been well aware of any potential problems regarding munitions for months and was not blindsided by the reports.
But he was angry that the information had been exposed at an inflection point in the conflict and that it continues to be an increasingly public issue at a time when he wants to project a position of strength, they said.
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump wrote on Truth Social just after midnight on Thursday. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
