Trump calls media ‘treasonous scum’ over reports of low Iran war munitions

Comments are the latest swipe by US president against critical media coverage of what experts call troubling shortages.

US President Donald Trump attends an event with Republican lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Washington, DC, the United States [Alex Brandon/AP]

United States President Donald Trump has again pushed back on media reports detailing dangerously low munitions stockpiles as the US-Israel war with Iran stretches into its seventh month.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said the military was producing munitions at “levels never seen before” and has “far more than we could ever use”.

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He also again took aim at media outlets that have reported on US shortages of both offensive and defensive weapons, calling them “treasonous scum” who refuse to “accurately report” on the war with Iran.

Trump made similar comments about news reports of munitions shortages in August, after the Washington Post reported he had grown frustrated with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over the supply shortages.

At the time, Trump said those reports were “treasonous statements” and promised whoever had leaked the information to the press would be “hunted down” and that “long term jail sentences will be sought”.

Numerous US news outlets have reported on the toll the Iran war has had on US military munitions and other supplies, especially those needed for protecting US bases and regional allies against Iran-launched missiles and drones.

The reports have been backed by experts, including the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which said in July that the US had just more than a third of its Patriot missile interceptors left, and about half its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors.

Large portions of offensive weapons stockpiles, including Tomahawk missiles, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSMs), have also been used in the war, according to CSIS.

Even with a slate of new Trump administration agreements with defence contractors meant to accelerate production, experts have warned that replenishing US supplies of key weapons could take at least two years.

In the short term, the shortages could harm deterrence against adversaries with more advanced weapons technology than Iran, former military officials have warned .

Press freedom groups, meanwhile, have said Trump has taken a number of alarming steps against critical media outlets since returning to office in 2025.

Trump has asked federal broadcast regulators to pull licences for media outlets in response to their coverage.

Federal prosecutors have also taken the unusual step of subpoenaing an increasing number of journalists in an effort to track down confidential sources in the administration who have leaked information to the press.

这是美国总统对媒体批评报道的最新一次抨击，专家称这些报道令人担忧，因为物资短缺问题十分严重。

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美国总统唐纳德·特朗普再次驳斥了媒体关于美以军火库存严重不足的报道，此时美以与伊朗的战争已持续七个月。

特朗普在其 Truth Social 账号上发帖称，军方正在以“前所未有的水平”生产弹药，而且“拥有的弹药远远超过我们所需的数量”。

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他还再次抨击了报道美国进攻性和防御性武器短缺的媒体，称他们是“叛国败类”，拒绝“准确报道”与伊朗的战争。

8 月份，《华盛顿邮报》报道称，特朗普对国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯因弹药短缺问题感到不满，之后特朗普就有关弹药短缺的新闻报道发表了类似的评论。

当时，特朗普称这些报道是“叛国言论”，并承诺将向媒体泄露信息的人“追捕”并“寻求长期监禁”。

许多美国新闻媒体报道了伊朗战争对美国军用弹药和其他物资造成的损失，特别是那些用于保护美国基地和地区盟友免受伊朗发射的导弹和无人机袭击的物资。

这些报道得到了包括位于华盛顿特区的战略与国际研究中心（CSIS）在内的专家的支持。CSIS在7月份表示，美国仅剩下三分之一多一点的“爱国者”导弹拦截器和大约一半的“萨德”末段高空区域防御系统拦截器。

据战略与国际研究中心（CSIS）称，大量进攻性武器储备，包括战斧导弹、联合空对地防区外导弹（JASSM）和精确打击导弹（PrSM），也已在战争中使用。

即使特朗普政府与国防承包商达成了一系列旨在加快生产的协议，专家也警告说，补充美国关键武器的供应可能至少需要两年时间。

前军方官员警告说，短期内，武器短缺可能会损害对拥有比伊朗更先进武器技术的对手的威慑力。

与此同时，新闻自由组织表示，自特朗普2025年重返总统职位以来，他已采取了一系列令人震惊的措施来打压批评他的媒体。

特朗普已要求联邦广播监管机构吊销部分媒体的执照，以回应它们的报道。

联邦检察官还采取了不同寻常的举措，传唤越来越多的记者，试图追踪政府内部向媒体泄露信息的秘密消息来源。