American political spokesperson who served as White House press secretary from January 2025 to August 2026 and was the Republican nominee for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022.
Case
Collins challenged Hegseth's suggestion that casualty coverage was meant to hurt Trump. Leavitt denied opposing coverage of the deaths but criticized CNN's framing and its treatment of the president.
Role at the time: White House press secretary
Response to this claim
CNN and Kaitlan Collins sought to make President Trump look bad in their coverage, even though the administration did not oppose reporting the troop deaths.
“The press does only want to make the President look bad.”
Combines a denial that the administration objects to covering fatalities with an endorsement of Hegseth's accusation about press motive.
Statement dates: March 4, 2026
Statement dates: March 4, 2026
