While our military is busy liquidating the Iranian regime’s ability to function, CNN has pivoted to its favorite pastime: inventing &#8220;intelligence failures&#8221; based on the whispers of anonymous cowards.
On Friday, the network of record for the &#8220;unserious&#8221; released a report claiming the Trump administration &#8220;significantly underestimated&#8221; Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz. Relying on the typical &#8220;three sources familiar with discussions&#8221; — who likely couldn&#8217;t find the Persian Gulf on a map — CNN suggested the Pentagon was caught flat-footed by the regime’s desperate move to choke off global energy.
The response from the administration and those actually in the room was swift, brutal, and entirely justified.
Montana GOP Senator Tim Sheehy — a man who knows a thing or two about mission planning, as he served several hundred days in active combat zones, including multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as platoon commander and team leader, specializing in unconventional warfare and special operations — wasted no time in nuking the narrative. Having attended a classified briefing, Sheehy took to social media to call out the blatant disinformation.
&#8220;It is categorically false that they did not plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; Sheehy fired back. &#8220;Lawmakers and national security officials have known for years that this was Iran’s plan once their backs were against the wall.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I received a classified briefing from the administration. It is categorically false that they did not plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. 
Lawmakers and national security officials have known for years that this was Iran’s plan once their backs were against the wall. <a href="https://t.co/3jHvdnKZRg">https://t.co/3jHvdnKZRg</a>
&mdash; Tim Sheehy (@TimSheehyMT) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimSheehyMT/status/2032454091327078845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The idea that the most sophisticated military planning in human history simply &#8220;forgot&#8221; about a choke point Iran has been threatening since the 1980s isn&#8217;t just bad journalism — it’s fan fiction.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went even further, labeling the story &#8220;100% FAKE NEWS&#8221; and a &#8220;complete disgrace.&#8221; In a scathing statement, Leavitt pointed out the absurdity of CNN running with anonymous hearsay when the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and every lawmaker present for the briefing had already directly debunked the claims.
&#8220;The Pentagon has been planning for Iran’s desperate and reckless closure of the Strait of Hormuz for DECADES,&#8221; Leavitt declared. &#8220;The idea that Chairman Caine and Secretary Hegseth weren’t prepared for this possibility is PREPOSTEROUS.&#8221;
Leavitt correctly noted that Operation Epic Fury was specifically designed to solve this problem permanently. By annihilating the regime’s navy, missile sites, and drone factories, the U.S. is stripping the terrorist Iranian regime of the very tools they use to hold the global economy hostage.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This story is 100% FAKE NEWS. 
CNN decided to run this garbage based on three anonymous “sources familiar with discussions.”  
This is despite the fact that myself, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and multiple lawmakers (who were actually present for the recent… <a href="https://t.co/IchmwpDnO7">pic.twitter.com/IchmwpDnO7</a>
&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2032461051493511299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While CNN frets over &#8220;economic fallout&#8221; and &#8220;interagency debate,&#8221; the adults in the room are focused on the mission. Energy Secretary Chris Wright summed it up perfectly: &#8220;To win in life, you’ve got to suffer short-term pain for the long-term gain.&#8221;
President Trump, for his part, remains unshakable. While the media wrings its hands over oil prices, Trump reminded the world that stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a slightly higher priority than a temporary shift in energy markets.
The media’s &#8220;work overtime&#8221; to discredit the administration is failing for one simple reason: the results on the battlefield speak louder than anonymous sources.
Meanwhile, CNN will still be looking for its next fake headline.

MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-10-52-AM-8092

Sheehy, Leavitt Torch CNN’s ‘Garbage’ Fan Fiction On Strait Of Hormuz ‘Intelligence Failures’

Karoline Leavitt

Strait of Hormuz

Tim Sheehy

Trump Administration

Oil prices have dropped for two straight days following previous surges, having hit four-year highs on Monday before logging the biggest single-day percentage drop since 2022.
Oil prices plunged on Tuesday when Secretary of Energy Chris Wright claimed in an X post that the U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent Crude dropped to around $81 per barrel, according to <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/future/brn00?countrycode=uk&amp;gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqe4k1-WtbbEc0_rDe9RmjIzBeQ_NbvsmIuohb4DQSo55Be0bfuc1Ez2yJhY6Pc%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69a5b024&amp;gaa_sig=kegHiaf_xsPW94kPXb2xUx2YgsMT9F6cMvHsnXelmzUTlyMm_8GalBG_mAiBT6m4gV0Q7YYn6j8miOFnbJ_EGA%3D%3D">MarketWatch</a>. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt corrected that claim in her Tuesday afternoon press briefing, which sent oil prices back up, with Brent Crude closing around $91 per barrel.
“I can confirm that the U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though, of course, that’s an option that the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time,&#8221; Leavitt said.
Using the U.S. Navy to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil travels, is just one of the options the Trump administration has announced that would bring down prices.
The administration ordered the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to <a href="https://www.theinsurer.com/ti/news/trump-orders-us-government-to-provide-political-risk-insurance-for-gulf-shipping-2026-03-04/">offer</a> political risk insurance to tankers operating in the Gulf. Insurance policies covering a vessel traveling through the strait have reportedly jumped by as much as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-prices-in-focus-after-iran-targets-key-oil-route">37.5%</a>, while others were canceled altogether. In addition, the Treasury Department lifted oil sanctions — most notably on Friday, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a temporary <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/world/middleeast/iran-war-putin-russia-energy-oil-prices.html">30-day lift</a> allowing India to buy Russian oil.
Senate Democrats criticized the decision to lift oil sanctions, writing in a statement, “Now is not the time to clear the way for sales for Russian oil majors and Russian-owned and shadow fleet vessels.”
Bessent argued that the lifted sanctions were narrow in scope and would not provide a substantial financial benefit to the Russian government. Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia lead the world in oil production.

Oil Rig

Oil Prices Yo-Yo As White House Walks Back Navy Escort Claim

Global Politics

Iran

World

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Americans on Tuesday that oil and gas prices would soon come back down, and President Donald Trump&#8217;s massive military operation in Iran would result in lower gas prices in the &#8220;long-term.&#8221;
During a White House press briefing, Leavitt urged Americans to stay patient after gas prices rose to their highest national average in four years. Leavitt said oil and gas prices could drop &#8220;rapidly&#8221; after the U.S. military achieves its objectives in &#8220;Operation Epic Fury.&#8221;
&#8220;The recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long-term.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;Rest assured to the American people: the recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KeF8ele6HE">pic.twitter.com/KeF8ele6HE</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/2031437515320598782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Brent crude, the international benchmark price point for oil, skyrocketed to nearly $120 per barrel earlier this week, but then plummeted to under $90 after President Trump said on Monday that the war in Iran was &#8220;very far ahead of schedule.&#8221; As of Tuesday afternoon, Brent crude remained just below $90 per barrel, which is still much higher than before the United States and Israel began their joint operation targeting Iran on February 28.
The ongoing war in Iran has squeezed oil flow coming through the Strait of Hormuz, which sits between Iran and the United Arab Emirates and is the only passage for tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. Around 20% of the world&#8217;s oil is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, but that oil flow came to a near complete halt last week. As of Monday, oil tankers again began traversing the strait, with oil tanker traffic ticking up to 20% of its normal level, according to analysis from Goldman Sachs.
Trump has floated taking control of the strait. The White House is also considering using U.S. ships to escort oil tankers.
&#8220;That’s an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time,” Leavitt said on Tuesday.
The president warned Iran on Monday, saying, &#8220;If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.&#8221;
U.S. intelligence suggests that Iran could be preparing to drop mines in the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News <a href="https://x.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/2031433322555937181">reported</a>. Such a move could further threaten oil tanker traffic and stall oil flow to the world. If tankers are prevented from passing through the Strait of Hormuz for more than two weeks, oil could reach $150 per barrel, some experts warned, according to the Associated Press. Saudi Arabia&#8217;s state-run oil company also warned of &#8220;catastrophic consequences&#8221; for global oil markets if the important shipping lane does not reopen soon.

Gas Prices

White House Reassures Americans About Oil Prices, Hints At ‘Long-Term’ Relief At The Pump

Crude Oil

Donald Trump

Israel

U.S. Military

White House

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt put a quick stop to The Independent&#8217;s Andrew Feinberg, who tried to claim that the Trump administration had not properly outlined the imminent threat posed by the Iranian regime.
Leavitt rejected &#8220;the premise of the question&#8221; out of hand, then laid out a list of Trump administration officials who had, in fact, made the case for Iran posing an imminent and ongoing threat to the United States and to American interests.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> does not make these decisions in a vacuum. This decision to launch this operation was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/hJtO1Igz5S">pic.twitter.com/hJtO1Igz5S</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2029271931598352667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;At the top of the briefing, you listed a long list of grievances against the Iranian government going back to the takeover of the embassy in &#8217;79,&#8221; Feinberg began, listing a couple of examples. &#8220;But no one in this administration has laid out the imminent threat that was supposed to be taken care of by this &#8230; Why is it that you can&#8217;t say what the imminent threat against the U.S. was that required us to launch this?&#8221;
&#8220;I completely reject the premise of your question,&#8221; Leavitt replied. &#8220;You have had the President of the United States, the Secretary of War, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and now I am out here today to explain to you exactly what led the president to make the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury.&#8221;
But Leavitt didn&#8217;t stop there. Instead, she went on to lay out, in more detail, some of the actions taken by the Iranian regime that had spurred President Trump to action, from their previous and ongoing support of terror proxies to their persistent attempts to create nuclear weapons that could eventually threaten the American people even at home.
&#8220;President Trump does not make these decisions in a vacuum. This decision to launch this operation was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America, and the president’s feeling based on the fact that Iran does pose an imminent and direct threat to the United States of America,&#8221; she continued.
The press secretary took her explanation a step further, noting that Trump had only resorted to military action when it was abundantly clear that negotiations were going nowhere — and once he&#8217;d determined that Iran was likely to take action against the United States, he chose to strike first and prevent it from happening.
&#8220;The president found that through these extensive, exhaustive, failed negotiations with Iran that they were hell-bent on death and destruction,&#8221; she said. &#8220;So again, the president was not going to be just another president on a very long list who sat back, and stood by, and passed the buck of this direct threat to the next administration &#8230; Again, these decisions are not made in a vacuum. They are made by the president’s feeling that Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets in the region, and he was not going to sit back and watch that happen. The determination was made that the president was going to strike first alongside Israel, and that has obviously been proven to be the right decision and an effective one at that.&#8221;

Media Briefing Held By White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Leavitt Rejects Premise Of ‘Imminent Threat’ Question In Fiery Defense Of Iran Strike

Leavitt Lets Reporter Have It For Questioning Iran Rationale: 'I Completely Reject The Premise'

Media

Operation Epic Fury

Politics

The Trump administration is keeping up the pressure on the Mexican government after assisting in the operation that killed a major drug cartel kingpin over the weekend.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration is &#8220;pushing&#8221; Mexico to take stronger action to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
&#8220;We are coordinating and cooperating and pushing the Mexican government to do more to end the scourge of deadly drugs coming through our United States Southern border, which of course is now secure thanks to President Trump as well,&#8221; Leavitt said during a Fox News appearance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;We encourage all Americans in Mexico to of course adhere to the guidance provided by the <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a>&#8230; and the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gwbUaD5oi9">pic.twitter.com/gwbUaD5oi9</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026293274827272418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Leavitt said the Sunday strike that took out longtime Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during an operation in the southwestern town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, &#8220;would not have happened without the leadership of President Trump.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation&#8217;s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
&#8220;He has made it a day one priority to target and go after these vicious drug cartels that have shipped deadly poison to our country for far too long,&#8221; Leavitt said, citing President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to designate some of Mexico&#8217;s most notorious cartels as terrorist organizations and the administration&#8217;s dozens of military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Following Sunday&#8217;s operation, cartel members set buses and cars ablaze and erected roadblocks in some of the most popular vacation spots frequented by American tourists.
The State Department <a href="https://x.com/TravelGov/status/2025636042007605353" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> American citizens to “shelter in place” if they are in the Mexican state of Jalisco — including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara — as well as in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
American and Canadian airlines quickly canceled flights out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, leaving tourists stranded.
American tourist Jim Beck, who said he has been going to Puerto Vallarta “for almost twenty years,” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cnn/video/7609924460602313997?q=puerto%20vallarta&amp;t=1771858884471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN that it’s the first time he’s been “actually terrified” while visiting the area.
“We saw people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire. And we ran back to the hotel and then that’s when they got the shelter in order place and we’ve been here all day,” Beck said.
“It’s been pretty scary … all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too, there’s a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel … so that they had some place to go too. It’s been quite surreal knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people,” he said.
Leavitt said the Trump administration is &#8220;unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped, or killed,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this president.&#8221;
The State Department has also set up &#8220;24/7 phone lines&#8221; to help Americans who are stranded in Mexico, Leavitt said.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-CRIME-DRUG TRAFFICKING-OPERATION

Trump Sends Clear Message After Cartel Rampage Leaves Americans Stranded

Claudia Sheinbaum

Drug Cartels

Executive

Mexico

National Security

A CBS News reporter set off a heated exchange during a Wednesday briefing when he challenged White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to prove President Donald Trump&#8217;s claims that he has been falsely called &#8220;racist.&#8221;
CBS Senior White House Correspondent Ed O’Keefe referenced the late Reverend Jesse Jackson — whose passing was announced on Tuesday — and said, “Yesterday in his statement about Jesse Jackson the President said ‘Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics on the radical left, democrats all, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way’ where or when does the President believe he’s been falsely called racist?”
Leavitt did not attempt to conceal her shock: “You’re kidding right?&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Seriously dude? Lefty reporter gets laughed at after he asks if Karoline Leavitt has any examples of the media calling President Trump racist.
Leavitt: &#8220;You&#8217;re kidding, right?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/2unmwVXQVY">pic.twitter.com/2unmwVXQVY</a>
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) <a href="https://twitter.com/theMRC/status/2024192999354237364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;You’re kidding right? I will pull you a plethora of examples,&#8221; the press secretary promised. &#8220;I will get my team in that room to start going through the internet of radical Democrats throughout the years, Ed, who have accused this President falsely of being a racist. And I’m sure there’s many people in this room and on network television across the country who have accused him of the same. In fact, I know that because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Leavitt went on to say that the President has been looking forward to having an event later that same afternoon to celebrate Black History Month as well as to “advancing opportunity and prosperity for all Americans,” such as the Trump Accounts, “which all Americans can access, regardless of race.”
Fifteen minutes later, the White House Rapid Response X account <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47">pulled</a> a video of Don Lemon anchoring a CNN broadcast. He opened his monologue with, “This is CNN Tonight. I’m Don Lemon. The President of the United States is racist. A lot of us already knew that.”
The White House has continued to update the platform with additional examples.

WATCH: CBS Reporter Tries To Corner Trump Team — Karoline Leavitt Starts Rolling Tape

Racism

CNN&#8217;s Kaitlan Collins may often find herself at odds with President Donald Trump, but during a recent interview, she conceded that it was White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt who stepped in to defend her rights as a journalist.
Collins explained the situation to &#8220;Absolutely Not&#8221; podcast host Heather McMahan, which unfolded when Collins traveled with the president to Saudi Arabia. She explained that the Saudi Royal Guard attempted to bar her from attending an event with Trump, and Leavitt lobbied for her to be allowed in the room.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Says Karoline Leavitt Defended Her Free Press Rights
“The Saudi Royal Guard freaked out because I dared to ask a question … and said, you can&#8217;t come into the next event … Karoline, to her credit said, no Kaitlan&#8217;s coming in with the rest of the U.S.… <a href="https://t.co/uhB9al4GVX">pic.twitter.com/uhB9al4GVX</a>
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/2021943212605165863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;When we were in Saudi Arabia, we were on a foreign trip with the president, and [Trump] came in with all the other leaders, including the Saudi Crown Prince,&#8221; Collins said, setting the scene for McMahan. &#8220;They famously do not like the media there, to put it lightly.&#8221;
&#8220;[I] shouted a question to President Trump, who had seen me when the U.S. press came in,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t answer, which is, I mean, that&#8217;s how it works: you shout questions, they either answer or they don&#8217;t, it&#8217;s their prerogative. And then the world leaders left the room.&#8221;
That, Collins said, was when things started to get sticky for her. The Saudi Royal Guard, unaccustomed to reporters being allowed to shout questions at their leaders, attempted to bar her from entering the room ahead of the next event.
&#8220;The Saudi Royal Guard kind of freaked out because I dared to ask a question, and they&#8217;re not used to that there because they don&#8217;t have a free press,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;And so they came up, and they said, &#8216;Okay, well, you can&#8217;t come into the next event,&#8217; which was like two minutes later.&#8221;
Collins said she attempted to explain &#8220;that&#8217;s not how this works,&#8221; but gained little ground with the Royal Guard.
&#8220;I could see them whispering and pointing about me,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Some of the younger White House press weren&#8217;t really sure what to do, and they went to Karoline. And, to her credit, she said, &#8216;No, Kaitlan&#8217;s coming in with the rest of the U.S. press&#8217; &#8230; which I do think is important, in that moment.&#8221;
Collins noted that similar incidents had happened on foreign trips before, such as when President Trump visited the DMZ and met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

President Trump And French President Macron Hold News Conference

Trump Foe Kaitlan Collins Recalls Time Karoline Leavitt Defended Her From Saudis

Regular CNN Trump Foil Admits Karoline Leavitt Defended Her Rights As Journalist

Freedom of the Press

Kaitlan Collins

Saudi Arabia

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday highlighted new crime statistics showing a historic drop in violent crime nationwide, arguing the data vindicates President Donald Trump’s law-and-order agenda just one year into his return to office.
Citing figures compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice, Leavitt said the national murder rate fell in 2025 to its lowest level since 1900, a decline she credited to expanded federal law enforcement activity, border security, and the administration’s focus on removing violent criminal illegal aliens from American communities.
“This dramatic decline is what happens when a president secures the border, fully mobilizes federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals, and aggressively deports the worst of the worst illegal aliens from our country,” Leavitt said during Thursday’s press briefing. “The numbers don’t lie.”
Leavitt pointed to a sharp increase in federal arrests under the Trump administration, saying the FBI doubled its violent crime arrests in 2025 compared to the previous year. She said more than 67,000 arrests have been made since Trump’s inauguration, which the administration says represents a 197% increase over the same time period under the Biden administration.
According to Leavitt, the FBI has also significantly expanded its operations against organized crime, disrupting 1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises nationwide, a 210% increase from the year prior. “The FBI has arrested 1,700 child predators and more than 300 human traffickers across the country,” Leavitt said. “Since President Trump took office, six of the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives have been captured right here in our nation’s capital.”
Leavitt further highlighted crime reductions in Washington, D.C., following Trump’s decision last summer to nationalize the city’s police force and deploy hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops to the district. While the move drew fierce criticism from Democrats and civil liberties groups at the time, the administration now says the results speak for themselves.
“As of last week, D.C. homicides were down 62%,” Leavitt said. She added that motor vehicle theft had dropped by 53% and that 2025 recorded the fewest violent gun crimes of any year in available data for the nation’s capital. More than 2,000 arrests have been made since the federal takeover, Leavitt said, noting that National Guard members remain deployed in the city as part of the administration’s continued crime suppression efforts.
The Trump administration has pursued similar enforcement strategies in other major cities, including Memphis, Tennessee, where federal agents and National Guard troops were deployed with the support of state and local officials.
Leavitt said nearly 5,600 arrests have been made in Memphis since the deployment began. “As of last week, aggravated assaults are down 53%, sexual assaults are down 53%, and robberies are down 70%,” she said.
Leavitt framed the administration’s broader crime strategy as inseparable from its immigration enforcement priorities, emphasizing the removal of criminal illegal aliens as a central pillar of public safety policy. The administration has repeatedly described its enforcement focus as targeting “the worst of the worst” offenders, deploying federal resources to cities where local leadership has struggled to contain violent crime.
While Democrats have accused Trump of overreach and politicizing federal law enforcement, the White House has leaned heavily into the crime statistics as evidence that its approach is working, particularly in cities long governed by left-wing leadership. Leavitt said the administration intends to continue expanding federal law enforcement operations in high-crime areas. 
“This is what tough, unapologetic law enforcement looks like,” she said. “And it’s saving lives.”
&nbsp;

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavit Holds Press Briefing At The White House

Leavitt Highlights Historic Crime Decline As Murder Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 1900

Crime

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not hold back on celebrities who publicly disparage ICE agents enforcing immigration law, noting how they are often the worst sorts of hypocrites.
“It&#8217;s very ironic and, frankly, sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, with millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves, trying to just demonize law enforcement public servants who work for the U.S. government to enforce our nation&#8217;s laws,” she said on Tuesday.
“You didn&#8217;t hear this same type of uproar from celebrities in Hollywood when the previous administration allowed an invasion of our nation&#8217;s borders, and allowed innocent women and girls like Jocelyn Nungaray and Laken Riley to be killed, raped, and murdered at the hands of people who should&#8217;ve never been in our country in the first place,&#8221; Leavitt added. 
She said law enforcement is just “trying to do their jobs” and noted how celebrities were silent when these innocent people were murdered. “I think that speaks to the unfortunate irony,” Leavitt added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;It&#8217;s very ironic and, frankly, sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, with millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves, trying to just demonize law enforcement public servants who work for the U.S. government to enforce our… <a href="https://t.co/PZqnA6nS9V">pic.twitter.com/PZqnA6nS9V</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2018764267386781874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Her comments come days after celebrities were out in force at the Grammys wearing ICE OUT and BE GOOD pins to protest ICE operations. Several attendees also commented on the situation from the stage and the red carpet.
Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber, sported the buttons, as did Billie Eilish, Kehlani, Samara Joy, Joni Mitchell, and Jack Antonoff.
Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, who will be performing at this year&#8217;s Super Bowl halftime show, devoted his Grammy acceptance speech to protesting ICE enforcing immigration laws.  
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out,” the singer, whose legal name is Benito Ocasio, said from the stage during the awards ceremony Sunday night. The crowd of celebrities responded with thunderous applause. “We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are American,” he added.
It wasn’t just the Grammys, either. At Sundance Film Festival last month, “Don’t Worry Darling” actress Olivia Wilde suggested that ICE is a criminal organization.
“We can’t go another day accepting this as our new norm. It’s outrageous. People are being murdered, and I don’t want to normalize seeing that violence—on the internet or on film. It’s hideous. If we can do anything to support the movement to cast ICE out and delegitimize this criminal organization, then that’s what we should be doing,” she <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/olivia-wilde-natalie-portman-criticize-161351146.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFpbHl3aXJlLmNvbS9uZXdzL3RoZS1sZWZ0cy1wZXJmb3JtYXRpdmUtb3V0cmFnZQ&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHb4SQlShleWpLv5AcMo-Gkg7Mu8np1GqfAMtJFlRfllLvNjab03YdfxW7974iy_CXfIVg9doush6JZxFZucTeiasW1edUnlP6Uo1KLLxINyvHY2F4AFfXW69nHiYrwYBwJNaKZ0cEEW-DMvuyFVEGFTtPLXmdw13dxLFA3R52vk&amp;guccounter=2">said</a> at the time.
“Game of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/game-of-thrones-actor-recites-cringeworthy-poem-dedicated-to-anti-ice-activist-renee-good?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Game+of+Thrones%E2%80%99+Actor+Recites+Cringeworthy+Poem+Dedicated+To+Anti-ICE+Activist+Renee+Good">recited</a> an extremely cringeworthy poem dedicated to Renee Good, the anti-ICE activist killed by an ICE agent during an altercation in Minneapolis. Singer Bruce Springsteen released a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bruce-springsteen-releases-cringe-protest-song-about-minneapolis?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bruce+Springsteen+Releases+Cringe+Protest+Song+About+Minneapolis">protest song</a> last month, which included the lyric, “ICE out of Minneapolis.”

‘Very Ironic’: Karoline Leavitt Blasts Anti-ICE Celebs

White House Press Secretary Blasts Anti-ICE Celebs: 'Very Ironic'

Anti-ICE

Celebrities

Entertainment

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has revoked the license of a nurse who wished childbirth injuries on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
State Attorney General James Uthmeier (R-FL) announced the move to strip Lexie Lawler of her Florida state nursing license in a post on X on Wednesday, praising Ladapo for taking such a &#8220;decisive action&#8221; and ensuring that those who wish harm on others — particularly those who work in fields like health care — face consequences for doing so.
&#8220;Effective today, Lexie Lawler is no longer allowed to practice nursing in Florida. Making statements that wish pain and suffering on anyone, when those statements are directly related to one&#8217;s practice, is an ethical red line we should not cross,&#8221; Uthmeier <a href="https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2016551568779202738">posted</a>.
After learning one day earlier that Lawler had been fired for her statements directed at Leavitt, Uthmeier had <a href="https://x.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2016244226757972192">argued</a> that simply the loss of her job was not adequate: &#8220;Being fired isn’t good enough. Any healthcare worker who fails to uphold his or her obligation to provide adequate, safe healthcare should not be licensed in Florida. No excuses!&#8221;
Uthmeier issued a similar statement to Fox News Digital, saying, &#8220;Women shouldn’t have to worry about a politically driven nurse who wishes them pain and suffering being in the delivery room during childbirth. It’s evil. The Florida Board of Nursing must take action to keep this person away from patients permanently.&#8221;
Lawler&#8217;s original TikTok video went viral — with a little help from Libs of TikTok — prompting backlash as she expressed her sincere wish for Leavitt to suffer permanent damage from a difficult delivery.
&#8220;As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth degree tear,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;I hope you f*cking rip from bow to stern and never sh*t normally again, you c*nt.&#8221;
A fourth-degree tear is the most severe type of obstetric tear and includes lacerations that extend through the perineal muscles into the rectal lining. Such tears require surgery to repair and six to eight weeks of recovery time — and only 60% to 80% of women will fully recover with no further complications.
A short time after the video went viral, Baptist Health confirmed that Lawler had been let go from her job, releasing the following statement to Boca Raton <a href="https://cbs12.com/news/local/boca-raton-nurse-fired-after-graphic-tiktok-targeting-pregnant-white-house-official-karoline-leavitt-white-house-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-baptist-health-boca-raton-regional-hospital-january-23-2026">CBS affiliate</a> 12 News: &#8220;The comments made in a social media video by a nurse at one of our facilities do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of health care professionals. Following a prompt review, the individual is no longer employed by our health system.&#8221;

Florida Nurse Loses License After Wishing Harm On Karoline Leavitt During Childbirth

Florida Surgeon General Revokes License Of Nurse Who Wished Childbirth Injuries On Karoline Leavitt

Florida

medicine

Nursing

Social Media

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday torched elected Democrats in Minnesota for stoking unrest that has contributed to the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal immigration authorities.
Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2015856478154850595">blamed</a> Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for “spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who are risking their lives daily to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets: murderers, rapists, pedophiles, human traffickers, and gang members.”
Walz and Frey have been outspoken critics of federal immigration operations in the Twin Cities area. Frey has <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wave-car-attacks-ice-agents-follows-incendiary-rhetoric-from-target-city-leaders">accused</a> ICE of “terrorizing our communities,” while Walz has repeatedly compared federal immigration enforcement to Nazis. On Sunday, Walz compared the state of illegal aliens in Minnesota to that of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazi regime in an attic for over two years before dying in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.
“Such dangerous rhetoric, as I pointed out, is exactly what has brought us to this position today, where you have elected Democrat officials across the country who are encouraging left-wing agitators and crazy people to go out and unlawfully obstruct lawful immigration enforcement,” <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2015857172874236233">said</a> Leavitt.
“This rhetoric against ICE, comparing them to Nazi Gestapo, Donald Trump&#8217;s police force, is despicable, it is shameful, and it is precisely what has led to the escalation of tensions in Minneapolis and in other places across the country,” she added.
Tensions in Minneapolis have exploded following two immigration enforcement-involved shootings. A Customs and Border Protection agent over the weekend shot and killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital, who was allegedly interfering with immigration operations in the city. Pretti’s death came just weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed in her vehicle after appearing to drive in the direction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis.
President Donald Trump and Walz took a step toward ratcheting down tensions on Monday. The president and the governor spoke over the phone and had “a very good call,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Walz’s office released a statement that described the call as “productive.”
“[W]e, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump said.
Leavitt said during the press conference that Trump would agree to pull Customs and Border Patrol out of Minnesota if local law enforcement in the state would work with ICE agents to arrest dangerous illegal aliens.

Leavitt Rips Democrats For Inciting ‘Left-Wing Agitators And Crazy People’ Against Feds

Leavitt Rips Democrats For Siccing ‘Left-Wing Agitators And Crazy People’ Against Feds

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Tim Walz

The negative portrayal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents by Democrats is leading to violence in the streets, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Thursday after The Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan asked her about rising unrest.
Leavitt showed a picture of a CNN chyron that read: “Protests Erupt After Federal Agent Shoots Man In Minneapolis.”
“That’s not the story,” Leavitt said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> goes OFF on the MSM and Democrats for demonizing ICE agents:
&#8220;I would encourage everyone in this room, and I would encourage Gov. Walz and other Democrats who are demeaning law enforcement to sit down and have a cup of coffee with an ICE agent&#8230;
The Democrat party… <a href="https://t.co/AB7SIjKgdB">pic.twitter.com/AB7SIjKgdB</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2011893315365462099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
To learn the real story, Leavitt urged Americans to turn to the Department of Homeland Security’s statement.
“This ICE agent was executing a targeted operation against a Venezuelan illegal alien who was unlawfully present in this country,” Leavitt said. “When this ICE agent tried to detain the individual, three more of his comrades came rushing out of the house and started ambushing and attacking the ICE agent. They used a shovel or a broom to smash his face in, and so yes, that agent had to use self-defense and take up his weapon to protect his own life.”
The press secretary reiterated that ICE agents and law enforcement are enforcing the country’s immigration laws while “elected officials are encouraging violence” against “our brave men and women in law enforcement.”
“Democratic governors and mayors” were not the only targets of Leavitt; the press secretary had a fiery exchange with a reporter who brought up Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s comment that ICE agents “are doing everything correctly.”
The reporter asked Leavitt, given that Renee Good was shot in the head, how ICE agents could be doing “everything correctly.” Leavitt first responded with a question, asking the reporter: “Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?” The reporter answered, “Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> absolutely nukes a Fake News loser:
&#8220;You&#8217;re a left-wing hack. You&#8217;re not a reporter. You&#8217;re posing in this room as a journalist&#8230; You and the people in the media who have such biases but fake like you&#8217;re a journalist — you shouldn&#8217;t even be sitting in that seat.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ebZzHj7hPs">pic.twitter.com/ebZzHj7hPs</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2011874658694676942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Leavitt responded, “Oh, okay, so you’re a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion. … Do you have the numbers of how many American citizens were killed at the hands of illegal aliens who ICE is trying to remove from this country? I bet you don’t. Shame on you and the people of the media who have a crooked and biased view.”
She then encouraged Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other Democrats “who are demeaning law enforcement to sit down and have a cup of coffee with an ICE agent or a border patrol agent.”
“These are great, patriotic men and women who have families who put on the uniform every day and are following our nation’s immigration laws at the direction of their bosses, and again at the direction of the law. They are simply trying to enforce the law and the Democrat Party has demeaned these individuals; they have even referred to them as Nazis and as the Gestapo.”
Leavitt said it is that very rhetoric that is “absolutely leading to the violence we are seeing in the streets.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Holds News Briefing

‘Shame On You’: White House Fed Up With Disrespect Toward Law Enforcement

Democrats

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Menu