President Donald Trump is confronting the consequences of an inner circle that shields him with favorable news, as the war with Iran drags on and the White House recalibrates its approach, according to sources cited by the Daily Mail.

Trump launched a unilateral attack on Iran in February, convinced that the invasion would be swift and effective. But according to the report, the president excluded sound advice from his decision-making before initiating an assault that has now slogged on for six months. Rather than taking responsibility for the misjudgment, sources say Trump appears to be taking his frustration out on loyalists, sidelining at least one of them. The dynamic underscores a recurring challenge for wartime presidencies: leaders whose advisers filter bad news risk strategic surprises when battlefield reality diverges from internal reporting.

"One is a sledge-hammer and the other is a scalpel," an anonymous source told the Daily Mail, comparing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Hegseth, among others in the president's orbit, "tells Trump what he wants to hear," the Daily Mail reports, citing the insider, who echoed concerns about Trump's "yes-men" military advisors that are also shared by Republicans on Capitol Hill.

According to a source familiar with the proceedings, Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others have all had opportunities to update the commander-in-chief. Recently, however, Trump has been elevating Bessent in these settings.

The Treasury Secretary's rise followed an explosive episode at a Camp David retreat earlier this month, when Trump became furious that the optimistic reports he demands from his advisers did not match the reality of the war. Most notably, the Daily Mail reported, the U.S. military faces a shortage of critical defense munitions -- a problem Trump had been assured "had been fixed." Munitions depletion is a recognized constraint in prolonged U.S. operations: precision-weapons stockpiles have historically drawn down faster than they can be replenished, a concern defense planners have raised in connection with other sustained conflicts in recent years.

"The environment changed," the Trump insider said, describing a realization inside the administration that Trump simply "can't bludgeon [Iran] anymore."

Bessent now appears positioned to assume a leading role from which Hegseth has been pushed aside. The shift toward a Treasury-led approach would align with the department's traditional responsibility for economic tools such as sanctions, an area where the United States has long sought to apply pressure as an alternative or complement to military action.

"He's very trusted," a source close to the president said. "It's not just on Iran, his stock is increasing. He's just more and more involved in things."

Allies of Hegseth insist that the Treasury Secretary's expanded role does not amount to a demotion for the Defense Secretary.

"There are limits to how much militarily will be accepted by the public and by the Congress," a senior Department of Defense official close to Hegseth told the Daily Mail. "The economic measures complement the bombing campaign."

The new phase represents "a much better strategy," the official added.