Pete Hegseth reportedly received an angry phone call from Donald Trump after his last-minute cancellation of U.S troops‘ deployment to Poland last week. According to insiders, this abrupt decision of the Secretary of War had sparked confusion within the Pentagon and drawn backlash from European allies.
Donald Trump reportedly called Pete Hegseth over Poland mishap
5000 U.S. troops of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division were originally scheduled to stay at a U.S. base on Polish territory for a nine-month rotation. Following Pete Hegseth’s surprise cancellation of the rotation, Donald Trump reportedly called the defense secretary demanding an explanation. Sources claimed that during their conversation, Trump emphasized that the U.S. should maintain a strong relationship with Poland given the country’s close ties with the White House (via The Daily Beast).
Officials were reportedly puzzled by Hegseth’s cancellation as it was Germany, not Poland, that had recently drawn criticism from the Trump administration. The surprise decision comes shortly after the defense secretary ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 more U.S. personnel from bases in Germany. The decision was allegedly made in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent criticism of Trump’s war in Iran.
Last month, Merz said that “the Iranians are clearly stronger than expected, and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either.” He added, “A whole nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”
Following the controversy over the canceled deployment of U.S. troops to Poland, Trump announced he would send additional troops to the country. In a May 22 Truth Social post, the president wrote, “Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland.”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
