Pete Hegseth recently made a tone-deaf comment on his priorities during the Iran conflict. More broadly, it was clear that the Pentagon disregarded the rising death toll of U.S. soldiers.
On Wednesday, the United States Secretary of War emphasized that amid events in the Middle East, he was concerned about the press’s focus on making President Donald Trump look bad.
What’s more alarming is that Hegseth seemed fixated on changing the narrative around Trump and the war. It appeared as if he did not care about the fallen soldiers, as he said, “The press only wants to make the president look bad.” He then shifted to complain about insufficient media coverage of U.S. Army successes and ranted about fake news.
Pete Hegseth added, “This is what the fake news misses. 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.”
With such insensitive comments made openly, California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly criticized the misplaced priorities in the White House. Resharing the clip from Pete Hegseth’s press briefing, Newsom wrote on X, “6 U.S. service members are dead, and Pete’s takeaway is that the real tragedy is bad press for Trump.”
6 U.S. service members are dead and Pete’s takeaway is that the real tragedy is bad press for Trump. https://t.co/me3MGjYnqQ
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 4, 2026
When the Pentagon was asked for clarification on Hegseth’s comments, they referred to recent statements issued by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
On the same day, Hegseth alleged insufficient media coverage of Operation Epic Fury, Leavitt was questioned by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. The host asked, “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 offered a defense of her colleague’s remarks. She stated: “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.”
When Collins pressed her on Hegseth’s complaint about reporting the deaths of six U.S. soldiers on the front page, Leavitt responded sternly. She accused CNN of biased, negative coverage and not focusing on the successes in the strikes in Iran.
🚨 BREAKING: Karoline Leavitt rips CNN’s Kaitlan Collins over Iran coverage.
“We’ve never had a secretary of defense who cares more…The press does only want to make the president look bad. That’s a fact. Especially you, and especially CNN.”pic.twitter.com/FDim5AJZ6l
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 5, 2026
In her words, “That’s not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and that’s not what the secretary meant, and you know it. You know you are being disingenuous.”
Leavitt then continued her rant against CNN, which she claimed was always trying to find loopholes and make President Donald Trump look bad. Well, this has not been the first time that the Press Secretary has directed fury at CNN. She has alleged the news outlet multiple times of excessive scrutiny that creates a negative image of Donald Trump.
She said, “The press does only want to make the president look bad—especially you, and especially CNN. You and your network know that you take every single thing this administration says and tries to use to make the president look bad. That is an objectionable fact.”
For those unaware, on Tuesday, the White House officially acknowledged and identified the four fallen U.S. soldiers. They died on March 1 while serving in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
