Trump in furious phone call with Pete Hegseth after defense chief's shocking blunder blindsides key US ally

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 12:52, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 12:57, 22 May 2026 Donald Trump unloaded on Pete Hegseth after the Pentagon chief abruptly canceled the deployment of thousands of US troops to Poland, blindsiding one of Washington's staunchest allies. Hegseth earlier this month called off the deployment of a US armored brigade to Poland. Some experts saw the move as part of Trump's broader push to scale back American support for Europe. The cancellation followed the Pentagon's earlier announcement that it would pull 5,000 troops from Germany, a decision made after Trump's public falling out with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.