Defiant Kaitlan Collins Hits Trump Spox’s Briefing Meltdown With Wrenching Reality Check

CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins responded to Trump White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s briefing meltdown with a wrenching reality check.

Leavitt attacked Collins at Wednesday’s White House press briefing over Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s remarks about American deaths being “front page news,” but Collins held her ground and fact-checked Leavitt in real time.

On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins recounted the exchange and Hegseth’s remarks, which were an explicit complaint about the media covering American servicemembers who have been

killed inthe fighting in order to make President Donald Trump “look bad.”

She then answered Leavitt’s attack with a somber message about those Americans who lost their lives:

COLLINS: At the Pentagon, this morning, Secretary Hegseth, while defending the administration’s handling of this war, made these two statements just minutes apart in his prepared remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Much was made of the volume of missiles Iran was able to shoot in the first few days. And sadly, as we projected, a few got through and killed six of our best who will hopefully arrive home soon. We will avenge them, no doubt.

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: During that White House press briefing today, I asked Karoline Leavitt about those comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You just mentioned that the President is going to attend the dignified transfer for these families.

Given what Secretary Hegseth said this morning, is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of U.S. service members?

LEAVITT: No, 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. If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person in this room.

And so, we can all be very grateful that we have an administration, and that we have men and women in our armed forces who are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the rest of us in this room and for every American across the country, and for every troop that is based in the Middle East. That’s what these–

COLLINS: But Secretary Hegseth was complaining that it was front-page news about these six service members who were killed.

LEAVITT: That’s not what the Secretary said, Kaitlan, and that’s not what the Secretary meant, and you know it.

(CROSSTALK) LEAVITT: You know you’re being disingenuous. There is not — we’ve never had a Secretary of Defense who cares more–

COLLINS: He said, 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.

LEAVITT: Yes, but the press does–

COLLINS: As you know, we cover the deaths of U.S. service members under every president.

LEAVITT: The press does only want to make the President look bad. That’s a–

(CROSSTALK)

LEAVITT: –that’s a fact. Especially you.

(CROSSTALK)

LEAVITT: No. Listen to me. Especially you, and especially CNN.

And the 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.

You also had the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Chairman Caine, who is a brave patriot, standing alongside the Secretary, at the Pentagon, this morning, again, expressing his condolences to these families.

And I just told you that the President of the United States will be attending their dignified transfer. So please–

COLLINS: But we’re going to cover that dignified transfer. That’s not making the President look bad.

LEAVITT: So please–

COLLINS: That’s showcasing that.

LEAVITT: And we–

COLLINS: As we did in his first term, and we did in Biden.

LEAVITT: –and we expect you to cover that as you should. 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 tries to use it to make the President look bad. That is an objectionable (ph) fact.

COLLINS: I don’t think covering troop deaths is trying to make the President look bad. LEAVITT: If you’re trying to — 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 agree (ph), and your ratings would tend to disagree with that, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: 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.

It’s about the people that you’re looking at here. Captain

Cody Khork. Sergeant First ClassNoah Tietjens. Sergeant First ClassNicole Amor. And SergeantDeclan Coady.It’s also for those whose names the Pentagon just released tonight, the other two who were killed, Major

Jeffrey O’Brienand Chief Warrant Officer ThreeRobert Marzan.May they rest in peace, and may their memory be a blessing for their families, their loved ones and their nation.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

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