Press Secretary vs CNN Reporter Over Coverage Of US Deaths In Iran War

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had a heated exchange with CNN's Kaitlan Collins during a briefing over the deaths of US service members in the Middle East in the conflict with Iran.

During the Wednesday briefing, CNN's chief White House correspondent asked Leavitt about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comment at an earlier Pentagon press conference, where he slammed the mainstream coverage of the deaths of the fallen service members and said it aimed to make President Donald Trump “look bad”, the Independent reported.

Next, Collins and Leavitt entered into a fiery back-and-forth after the reporter asked about Hegseth's comments and news that Trump would attend the dignified transfer of the remains of the six soldiers, who were killed in an attack on a command centre in Kuwait on Sunday.

When asked by Collins if the Trump administration wanted the press not to cover the deaths of US service members prominently, Leavitt replied in the negative. 

“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,” she explained.

Collins: Is it the administration's position that the press should not cover the deaths of service members? Hegseth was complaining that it was front page news that these 6 service members were killed

Leavitt: The press does only want to make the president look bad. That is an… pic.twitter.com/BHOjC7LMIx

— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) March 4, 2026

Collins followed up with questions on Hegseth's comments. Leavitt scolded the reporter for her queries and talked over her, calling her questions “disingenuous” and claiming Hegseth's words were being misinterpreted.

When the CNN correspondent read out the entire quote by Hegseth, Leavitt said she agreed with his remarks. The press secretary said the media, particularly CNN, wants President Trump to look bad, drawing protests from the mediapersons in the room.

“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,” she added.

Collins pointed out that reporting on Trump's plans to attend the dignified transfer of the soldiers' remains was “showcasing” his presidency. Leavitt took a swipe at CNN's ratings and replied, “If you're trying to argue that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of President Trump, I think the American public would tend to agree, and your ratings would tend to agree with that as well.”

US Military Confirms Six Service Members Killed

The US military released the identities of the six soldiers killed in Kuwait during the conflict with Iran: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M Marzan, Capt Cody Khork, Maj Jeffrey R O'Brien, Sgt Noah Tietjens, Sgt Nicole Amor, and Sgt Declan Coady.

All six died after an "unmanned aircraft system" evaded air defences in Kuwait's Port Shuaiba, to hit a command centre on Sunday. Three US military officials with knowledge of the attack told the BBC's US partner CBS that the personnel had been working in a makeshift office space, using a trailer shielded by steel-reinforced concrete barriers.

Over 13,000 US soldiers are stationed in Kuwait. Iran has responded to US and Israeli strikes by launching missiles at American bases in the Gulf.