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A heated confrontation erupted at the White House as Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clashed with CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins over media coverage of U.S. troops killed during the escalating conflict with Iran. Collins questioned whether the administration wanted the press to downplay the deaths of six American service members killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, triggering a fiery exchange during the briefing. Donald Trump’s spokesperson accused CNN of trying to make the president “look bad,” while insisting the media should focus on the successes of the military campaign.

The clash comes amid growing tensions in the region following the U.S. military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury. Officials confirmed that six American service members were killed after an Iranian drone struck a U.S. facility in Kuwait, marking the first major American casualties in the conflict and fueling debate over the war and media coverage in Washington.
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00:00Is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths
00:04of U.S. service members? Should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the
00:09damage it is doing. If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person
00:14in this room for every troop that is based in the Middle East. That's what these...
00:18Secretary Hexack was complaining that it was front page news about these six service members
00:22who were killed. That's not what the secretary said, Caitlin, and that's not what the secretary
00:26meant and you know it. Who cares more? Tragic things happen. It's front page news. I get
00:31it. The press only wants to make the president look bad. As you know, we cover the deaths of
00:34U.S. service members under every president. The press does only want to make the president
00:38look bad, especially you and especially CNN. And the secretary of defense cares deeply.
00:43So please, so please... That's not making the president look bad. That's showcasing that.
00:48We expect you to cover that as you should. Covering troop deaths is trying to make the president
00:53If you're trying to argue right now that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of President
00:58Donald Trump... You just mentioned that the president is going to attend the dignified
01:02transfer for these families. Given what Secretary Hexack said this morning, is it the position
01:07of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of U.S. service
01:11members? No. It's the position of this administration that the press in this room and the press across
01:16the country should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the damage
01:22it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American
01:27in this room. If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person
01:31in this room. And so we can all be very grateful that we have an administration and that we have
01:36men and women in our armed forces who are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the rest
01:41of us in this room and for every American across the country and for every troop that is based
01:45in the Middle East. That's what these... Secretary Hexack was complaining that it was front page
01:49news about these six servicemembers who were killed. That's not what the secretary said, Caitlin,
01:53and that's not what the secretary meant. And you know it. You know you are being disingenuous.
01:57There is not... We've never had a secretary of defense. Who cares more?
02:01We don't get through where tragic things happen. It's front page news. I get it. The press only wants
02:05to make the president look bad. Yeah. As you know, we cover the deaths of U.S. service members
02:08under every president. The press does only want to make the president look bad. That's
02:12a fact. No, listen to me. Especially you and especially CNN. And the secretary of defense
02:20cares deeply about our war fighters and our men and women in uniform. He travels all across
02:25this country to meet with them, to connect with them, and your network has hardly ever probably
02:30reported on that. You also have the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Chairman Cain, who's a brave
02:35patriot standing alongside the secretary at the Pentagon this morning, again expressing
02:40his condolences to these families. And I just told you that the president of the United States
02:44will be attending their dignified transfer. So please, so please...
02:48That's not making the president look bad. That's showcasing that.
02:51We expect you to cover that as you should. We expect you to cover that as you should, Caitlin.
02:56But you and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries
03:01to use it to make the president look bad. That is an objectable fact.
03:06I don't think covering troop deaths is trying to make the president look bad.
03:08If you're trying to argue right now that CNN's overwhelming coverage is not negative of
03:13President Donald Trump, I think the American people would tend to agree. And your ratings
03:18would tend to disagree with that as well.
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