‘That is NOT the Truth!’ Karoline Leavitt Blasts Accurate CNN Chyron of ICE Shooting

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stunned reporters Thursday by angrily denouncing a CNN chyron as “not the truth,” despite the on-screen description being factually accurate, if incomplete.

During a contentious exchange at the briefing podium, Leavitt zeroed in on a CNN headline that read: “Protests erupt after federal agents shoot man in Minneapolis.” Her objection was not that the shooting failed to occur, nor that protests did not follow. Both are undisputed. Instead, Leavitt argued that the chyron failed to reflect what she described as the fuller context behind the incident.

“That is not the story. That’s not the truth,” Leavitt said flatly, escalating her critique well beyond a standard complaint about framing or omitted details. The categorical dismissal was striking, particularly given that the chyron accurately stated two verified facts: a federal agent shot a man, and protests erupted afterward.

Leavitt’s decision to label the headline untrue, rather than misleading or incomplete, marked a sharp rhetorical turn. Press secretaries routinely argue that coverage lacks nuance. Far less common is an outright declaration that an accurate statement of events is false.

The moment came after a reporter asked about unrest in Minneapolis following an ICE operation, citing vandalized federal vehicles, alleged theft of weapons from an FBI car, and reports from a journalist embedded with ICE who described sustained harassment of agents. The reporter asked whether rhetoric from political leaders and media outlets was contributing to violence against ICE personnel.

Leavitt responded with a sweeping defense of ICE and an aggressive attack on Democrats and the press. She accused Democratic governors and mayors of demonizing federal agents, claiming they have been likened to Nazis and the Gestapo. She displayed photos of vandalized ICE vehicles and referenced a slogan allegedly scrawled on one car that read, “the best agent is a dead agent.”

She then returned to the CNN chyron, accusing the network of being “complicit in this violence.” Leavitt argued that Department of Homeland Security accounts show the agent was acting in self-defense after being assaulted while attempting to detain a Venezuelan national who fled an operation.

That account may add important context. It does not, however, negate the accuracy of CNN’s description of events.

By declaring a plainly true headline “not the truth,” Leavitt appeared less interested in correcting the record than in redefining it. From the White House podium, that distinction matters.

Watch above via Fox News.

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