Karoline Leavitt Unloads on CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for Defaming Pete Hegseth [WATCH]

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt engaged in a tense exchange with CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins during Wednesday’s White House briefing, where questions focused heavily on Operation Epic Fury and the aftermath of Iran’s military response against the United States and Israel.

The exchange began after Collins raised the issue of a planned dignified transfer ceremony expected to be attended by President Donald Trump. The ceremony will honor six U.S. service members who were killed following Iran’s response to the joint U.S.–Israeli military action.

Collins referenced comments made earlier in the day by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who criticized how the media was covering the developments tied to the operation.

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According to Collins, Hegseth had rebuked reporters for giving significant attention to the deaths of the American service members while not placing the same emphasis on what he described as the broader success of the mission against Iran.

“Is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of U.S. service members?” Collins asked Leavitt during the briefing.

Leavitt rejected that interpretation and said the administration’s concern centered on how the operation itself was being portrayed.

“No,” Leavitt responded. “It’s the position of this administration that the press in this room and the press across the country should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the damage it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American in this room.”

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Leavitt then acknowledged the loss of the service members and expressed appreciation for both the fallen troops and those currently serving overseas.

Collins continued pressing the issue, suggesting that Hegseth had objected to how the deaths of the six soldiers had become “front-page news.”

“No, that’s not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and that’s not what the secretary meant, and you know it,” Leavitt replied. “You know you’re being disingenuous — we’ve never had a secretary of defense who cares more —”

Collins then read aloud a portion of Hegseth’s remarks.

“‘But 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,’” Collins quoted Hegseth as saying. “You know we cover the deaths of U.S. service members under every president.”

Leavitt responded by directly challenging the network’s coverage and accusing CNN of attempting to portray President Trump negatively.

“The press does only want to make the president look bad. That’s a fact,” Leavitt said. “Especially you and especially CNN. And our secretary of defense cares deeply about our war fighters and our men and women in uniform. He travels all across this country to meet with them, to connect with them, and your network has hardly ever probably reported on that.”

Collins responded by rejecting the suggestion that coverage of the fallen troops was intended to damage the president’s image. Instead, she said the reporting was meant to highlight the service and sacrifice of the soldiers.

“I don’t think covering troop deaths is trying to make the president look bad,” Collins said.

Leavitt said the administration expects news organizations to report on the sacrifices of the service members but maintained that the network’s broader coverage of the administration has been negative.

“And we expect you to cover that as you should, Kaitlan,” Leavitt said. “But you and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries to use it to make the president look bad. That is an objectable fact.”

The exchange concluded with Leavitt pointing to public perception and television ratings as she pushed back against Collins’ claim.

“If you’re trying to argue right now that CNN’s overwhelming coverage is not negative of President Donald Trump, I think the American people would tend to disagree — and your ratings would tend to disagree with that as well,” Leavitt told the anchor before moving on to other questions.

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