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 the NATO ally. 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.

The punishment of Poland, however, caught US officials off guard, as the Eastern European nation had not criticized the administration and its right-wing leadership has been firmly supportive of Trump.

Trump recently called Hegseth demanding to know why the Poland deployment had been abruptly scrapped. 

At one point, Trump lectured the defense secretary that the US should not mistreat Poland given its close ties to the White House, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The White House and Pentagon did not deny the reporting but issued statements insisting Trump and Hegseth were aligned on US troop deployments in Europe.

'President Trump appreciates all the secretary has done—and will continue to do—in executing the America First agenda within our military and prioritizing our warfighters like never before,' said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. 

Soon after his blow-up at Hegseth, Trump announced plans to send another 5,000 troops to Poland. 

Trump's troop surge is aimed at reassuring the European ally of continued US support despite his broader push to draw down America's military presence on the continent. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NATO leaders Friday the US did not seek to punish allies but only has a limited number of troops it can deploy across the globe. 

'The United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to re-examine where we put troops. This is not a punitive thing,' Rubio said at a foreign ministers conference in Helsingborg, Sweden.

Poland, a former Iron Curtain nation that borders Russia, has led the charge in backing Ukraine's fight against Vladimir Putin's invasion. 

It is widely seen as one of the countries most likely to face Moscow's wrath should all-out war between Europe and Russia ever break out.

'Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.