White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused CNN on Friday of deliberately lying about a potential shakeup in the Trump administration’s cabinet despite being told “repeatedly” that there is no truth to those allegations.
The outlet’s newly published article, “Trump officials prepare for potential cabinet shakeup after one-year mark,” alleges that many cabinet officials could be exiting the administration in the near future. Leavitt said on X that the White House told CNN that President Donald Trump “could not be happier” with his cabinet and that CNN is publishing these allegations to save their ratings.
“This story is 100% Fake News, and the White House repeatedly told this to CNN in the strongest possible terms,” Leavitt said. “Yet they still wrote the story because their ratings are dying so they thrive off drama that does not exist. The truth is: President Trump could not be happier with his Cabinet. Shame on you, @CNN.”
This story is 100% Fake News, and the White House repeatedly told this to CNN in the strongest possible terms. Yet they still wrote the story because their ratings are dying so they thrive off drama that does not exist.
The truth is: President Trump could not be happier with… https://t.co/ercJVAFTr1
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) November 21, 2025
CNN did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
While citing anonymous sources, CNN reported that there could be a shakeup in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Energy. The outlet alleged that White House officials have become frustrated with DHS chief adviser Corey Lewandowski and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. (RELATED: ‘A Blatant Lie’: Karoline Leavitt Skewers CNN After Forcing Network To Raise White Flag And Issue Correction)
The article further alleged that there had been talks about replacing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after he accidentally shared classified information with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal chat and that Trump had grown frustrated with Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard over her stance on the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Both Hegseth and Gabbard have remained in their jobs, but pressure to replace Hegseth could resurface in the coming weeks as the Pentagon’s internal watchdog is expected to release its report on the Signal incident, which — while not carrying any formal sanction for the Defense Secretary — could return the issue to the spotlight,” CNN reported, citing sources.
The article further alleged that Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is stepping down in January, may be under consideration for any potential openings in the cabinet.
The article quoted Leavitt stating, “The cabinet is not changing no matter how much CNN wishes that it would because it thrives off drama.”
Leavitt has called out CNN in the past, including in June when CNN reported that congressional Democrats were not informed about the strike in Iran. After Leavitt urged them to “retract” their story, the outlet issued a correction to clarify that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had been called before the strike.
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