White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sharply confronted CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins during a heated briefing on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, accusing Collins and her network of intentionally trying to make President Donald Trump “look bad” as casualties from Operation Epic Fury in Iran continued to rise.
The exchange in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room followed comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier that day, criticizing media reports about six U.S. service members killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait over the weekend. The back-and-forth represented another escalation between the 28-year-old Leavitt—the youngest person to serve as press secretary—and one of the capital’s most visible White House correspondents.
Collins asked whether the administration expected outlets to soften coverage of American troop deaths, citing Hegseth’s claim that reporting on “tragic things” was intended to politically harm the president. The question drew an immediate, forceful reply.
Leavitt responded sharply, raising her voice: “That’s not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and that’s not what the secretary meant. And you know it. You know you’re being disingenuous. We’ve never had a secretary of defense who cares more.”
When Collins repeated Hegseth’s exact wording, Leavitt visibly lost her composure. Pointing at the CNN anchor, she accused the press of trying to depict the president negatively—”especially you, and especially CNN.”
As other reporters tried to intervene, Leavitt again raised her voice: “Listen to me, especially you and especially CNN.”
She broadened her criticism by saying CNN had “hardly ever reported” on Hegseth’s nationwide troop visits and accused the network of twisting “every single thing this administration says” to harm the president.
Leavitt also argued that if Collins didn’t see CNN’s coverage as mostly negative toward Trump, “the American people would tend to agree, and your ratings would tend to agree” with the administration’s view.
The dispute is connected to Operation Epic Fury, the combined U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran. On Wednesday, the Pentagon released the names of the six fallen service members: Captain Cody A. Khork, 35; Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor, 39; Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20; Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42; Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California. They were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit from Iowa, and were killed when a drone struck a command facility at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
The strikes in Iran led to the deaths of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 49 senior officials, and more than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed since the campaign began. Energy prices have climbed, and the MAGA movement has split over the intervention, with figures such as former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson, and Megyn Kelly publicly opposing it.
That evening on her show, “The Source,” Collins addressed the confrontation. Showing images of the fallen soldiers, she said pointedly: “Needless to say, our coverage of Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country is not about the president, and it’s not about CNN either.”
Collins also spoke with former Vice President Mike Pence, who sought to remain neutral while stressing the importance of honoring the dead. Asked whether Hegseth’s remarks were appropriate, Pence avoided taking sides: “I don’t want to get in between you and the administration arguing about the media.” He did add that it is “altogether fitting and altogether proper” to honor fallen service members.
The spat continues a pattern of tension between Collins and the Trump administration. In February, President Trump criticized Collins after she questioned him about Jeffrey Epstein documents, calling her “the worst reporter” and suggesting she should smile more. In December, he called Collins “stupid and nasty” on Truth Social and misspelled her name. Leavitt and Collins also clashed in December over questions on the economy and inflation.
President Trump attended the dignified transfer ceremony on March 7 at Dover Air Force Base for the six service members killed in Kuwait. He was joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. As U.S. losses grow, the administration faces increasing pressure to defend the intervention even as it disputes media coverage of those casualties.
