A top White House official blasted negative Iran war coverage March 17 just minutes after an official in President Donald Trump’s administration resigned over the conflict.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X and shared a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) op-ed co-authored by former Clinton adviser Mark Penn and former New York City Council President Andrew Stein. The piece, titled “On Iran, Is Only Bad News Fit to Print?,” argued that media partisanship surrounding U.S. and Israeli actions in Iran has reached new heights. (RELATED: Top Gabbard Deputy Joe Kent Quits Over Iran, Prays Trump Will ‘Reflect’)
“Must Read WSJ op-ed on the overwhelmingly negative coverage on Operation Epic Fury in Iran, which continues to be a highly successful military campaign against a terrorist regime. We are combatting the Fake News daily at the White House, and it’s safe to say the American left-wing media is sadly rooting for President Trump, and therefore the United States Military, to fail,” Leavitt posted at 9:49 a.m. Eastern Time.
Must Read @WSJ op-ed on the overwhelmingly negative coverage on Operation Epic Fury in Iran, which continues to be a highly successful military campaign against a terrorist regime.
We are combatting the Fake News daily at the White House, and it’s safe to say the American… https://t.co/PzsuhyFikb
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
The post by Leavitt came just minutes after Joe Kent, then-director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in protest at 9:24 a.m. Eastern Time. Kent said he could not support the ongoing war in Iran and argued the country “posed no imminent threat” to the U.S.
“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent wrote in a post on X.
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026
The WSJ op-ed also cited Trump’s Truth Social post Friday criticizing coverage of the war. “We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” he wrote.
Penn and Stein called it “predictable — and entirely justified” for Trump to be calling out the media. They argued that when reading Sunday’s New York Times, “it’s as if editors took that as a command rather than a criticism.” (RELATED: Trump Reacts To Joe Kent Resigning Over Iran War)
Joe Kent, an 11-time combat veteran, resigned from his position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center over the Iran war, saying Iran posed no imminent threat and that the conflict was driven by Israeli pressure.
Ben Shapiro, a vocal supporter of the war, blasted… pic.twitter.com/KSZ0ok5kuD
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 17, 2026
“Like the Times, much of the news media seems determined to advance a narrative that Mr. Trump is wrong about everything and that the U.S. is getting its clock cleaned by a powerful Iranian war machine that has successfully made the transition to new leadership,” Penn and Stein wrote.
The co-authors further argued that while journalists have a duty to scrutinize the government, some coverage has veered into apparent bias — downplaying Iran’s setbacks and reflecting partisan opposition to Trump. They suggested the tone of the reporting is driven more by political motives than objective analysis.
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