Leavitt Confronts CNN’s Collins Over Coverage of U.S. Casualties in Iran
During a tense White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt confronted CNN’s Kaitlan Collins regarding the administration's stance on media coverage of U.S. military fatalities in the ongoing conflict in Iran and the broader Middle East.
Collins, serving as CNN’s chief White House correspondent, raised a question about comments made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a previous Pentagon press conference. Hegseth had criticized what he termed “fake news” for highlighting the deaths of service members, suggesting it was an attempt to tarnish President Donald Trump’s image.
The exchange escalated when Collins inquired about Hegseth’s remarks and the president's plans to attend the dignified transfer of six soldiers killed in a recent attack in Kuwait.
“Is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of U.S. service members?” Collins pressed.
Leavitt responded firmly, stating, “No. This administration believes that the press should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and its impact on the Iranian regime that threatens every American here.”
Collins persisted, pointing out that Hegseth had expressed dissatisfaction with the coverage of the fallen service members.
Leavitt interrupted, admonishing Collins for her follow-up. “That’s not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and you know it. You’re being disingenuous,” she asserted.
In response, Collins quoted Hegseth directly: “When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news. I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality.”
“We cover the deaths of service members under any president,” Collins countered.
Leavitt reiterated her agreement with Hegseth’s sentiment. “The press does only want to make the president look bad,” she stated emphatically. “That’s a fact.”
“Listen to me, especially you, and especially CNN,” Leavitt snapped at Collins. “The Secretary of Defense cares deeply about our war fighters and our men and women in uniform. He travels across this country to connect with them, and your network has hardly ever reported on that.”
Collins attempted to clarify that reporting on Trump’s attendance at the transfer ceremony was not an attempt to undermine his presidency but rather a reflection of it.
“We expect you to cover that as you should, Kaitlan, but you and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and try to use it to make the president look bad,” Leavitt retorted, taking a jab at CNN’s ratings.
Earlier in the briefing, Leavitt defended Trump’s decision to engage militarily with Iran, asserting it was based on a “feeling rooted in fact” that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S. and its allies.
“The president was not going to be just another leader who stood by and passed this direct threat to the next administration,” she stated after being pressed on the evolving justifications for military action provided by top officials since the weekend.
