President Donald Trump on August 6 pushed back against what he called "fake news" and defended the work of Pete Hegseth, praising the administration's actions in Venezuela and Iran. Trump said the operation in Venezuela "was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice!" He also claimed Iran "has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well!" Trump described Hegseth, who is "highly respected within the Military," as making "tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels." The president blamed the rumors on The Washington Post, calling the outlet "one of the worst Media Outlets in the business" and its reporting "treasonous." He reiterated that the story was "completely FALSE."

