The rebuttals follow a report by The Washington Post citing two sources familiar with the matter, which alleged that Trump interrogated Hegseth regarding a diminishing inventory of crucial weaponry, including air defence interceptors and long-range guided missiles.

In a post on X, Hegseth wrote, "That banner is NOT TRUE, @CNN. Shame on you. We don't hate the Fake News media enough."

US military commanders have warned that the Pentagon's munitions stockpile is dangerously low