White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt forcefully denied a report published by NPR this week that claimed President Donald Trump is considering a replacement for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, as reported by Fox News.
The NPR article, citing a single unnamed source, stated that “the White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense,” allegedly in response to concerns about Hegseth’s handling of internal communications related to military action in Yemen.
Leavitt quickly responded to the report, calling it false and accusing NPR of spreading misinformation.
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“This @NPR story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about,” Leavitt wrote on X. “As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind @SecDef.”
This @NPR story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about.
As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind @SecDef. https://t.co/5Npig8968v
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 21, 2025
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The report followed a series of recent media controversies surrounding internal communication protocols in the Trump administration.
Last month, The Atlantic reported that its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly included in a Signal group chat among senior Trump officials during a conversation about military activity.
More recently, The New York Times reported that Secretary Hegseth had shared information about a March airstrike against Iran-backed Houthi militants with close family members through another Signal message thread.
Despite the surrounding media attention, the White House firmly denied any internal movement to replace Hegseth. The administration’s official rapid response account also addressed the NPR article, stating, “Lies from NPR — which, as we all know, is a Fake News propaganda machine.”
Lies from NPR — which, as we all know, is a Fake News propaganda machine. https://t.co/P4Y6FgQ1So
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 21, 2025
The incident has renewed calls from the administration and its allies to defund National Public Radio and its parent organizations.
Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, submitted a request this month urging lawmakers to eliminate $1.1 billion in funding designated for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), along with an additional $8.3 billion allocated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The White House has not indicated any changes are forthcoming at the Department of Defense, and officials have reiterated that President Trump continues to have full confidence in Secretary Hegseth.
As of Tuesday, NPR had not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Leavitt’s statement.
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