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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had a tense exchange with NCS’s Kailtan Collins during Wednesday’s briefing closely centered on Operation Epic Fury towards Iran.
Collins famous that President Donald Trump is predicted to attend the dignified switch ceremony honoring the fallen troopers who had been killed within the wake of Iran’s navy response towards the U.S. and Israel. She then invoked feedback made earlier within the day by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who scolded the press for making tragic developments “front-page news” regardless of the mission’s broader successes.
“Is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of U.S. service members?” Collins requested.
“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.”
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a briefing on the White House in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2026. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
After Leavitt expressed gratitude to the service members who made the last word sacrifice and people persevering with to serve abroad, Collins doubled down on her query, saying Hegseth was “complaining” about how the six fallen troopers had been making “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 shot again. “You know you’re being disingenuous — we’ve never had a secretary of defense who cares more —”
“‘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 learn the quote from Hegseth. “You know we cover the deaths of U.S. service members under every president.”
NCS HOST KAITLAN COLLINS REVEALS KAROLINE LEAVITT DEFENDED HER PRESS ACCESS IN SAUDI ARABIA
War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, converse during a press briefing on the Pentagon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Konstantin Toropin)
“The press does only want to make the president look bad. That’s a fact,” Leavitt responded. “Especially you and especially NCS. 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 insisted the give attention to the fallen troopers is not about making Trump “look bad” however relatively “showcasing” their service.
“And we expect you to cover that as you should, Kaitlan,” Leavitt continued. “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 [sic] fact.”
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NCS reporter Kaitlan Collins earlier than the beginning of the briefing with press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the White House on Jan. 7, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP by way of Getty Images)
“I don’t think covering troop deaths is trying to make the president look bad,” Collins stated.
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“If you’re trying to argue right now that NCS’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 informed the anchor earlier than shifting on.
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