There’s a war over the truth unfolding in America — not with bullets and bombs, but with headlines and soundbites — and Portland has become ground zero. When chaos engulfs a city, the press should expose it, not rewrite it to protect their allies. Yet that’s exactly what we’re seeing, as reporters bend over backward to downplay the anarchy on Portland’s streets.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took that narrative head-on, sparring with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after Collins suggested that President Trump exaggerated the crisis and that the National Guard deployment wasn’t necessary. The exchange perfectly captured what’s really at stake: whether the media will keep manufacturing illusions — or whether the public will finally wake up to the truth they’ve been denying.
“Who are the officials who you can point to that have said, ‘We need the National Guard,’ because I spoke to the police chief last week, and he said that the president’s claims just don’t match up with what is going on on the ground?” Collins asked.
Big mistake.
Leavitt wasn’t having it, and she came armed not just with talking points, but with blunt truth.
Leavitt fired back by urging Collins to actually get out of the insulated bubble of the press corps and see Portland for herself.
“I would encourage you as a reporter to go on the ground and to take a look at it for yourself because there’s been many members of the press, not press in this room, but independent journalists, some of whom we’ll be inviting to the White House very soon to share their stories because they have been in the middle of these riots and they have witnessed the anarchy that is taking place night after night,” she snapped back.
“It’s on video,” Leavitt reminded Collins, telling her to air it in prime time on CNN — something Leavitt clearly doubts will ever happen. Instead, she accused Collins of leaning on partisan Democrat officials “opposed to everything this president does” while ignoring the voices of actual Portland residents, many of whom have been calling the situation “complete civil disobedience” and “a mess.”
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Her point wasn’t abstract — she referenced the recent violence against conservative journalists, including Nick Sortor, who was attacked by far-left rioters, had his equipment destroyed, and then, adding insult to injury, was arrested by the Portland police on charges of disorderly conduct. The attack was caught on camera — a perfect example Leavitt insists the public should see. But instead of national outrage, the incident will likely be ignored by the very networks claiming to defend “press freedom.”
Karoline Leavitt rips into CNN's Kaitlan Collins for taking the position that the National Guard isn't needed in Portland.
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) October 6, 2025
"I'd encourage you as a reporter to go on the ground and take a look yourself... you're probably talking to partisan Democrat officials..." pic.twitter.com/LruZQI2pBB
Portland has become the ultimate warning of what happens when woke ideology replaces common sense and law enforcement takes a backseat to political correctness. As Karoline Leavitt made clear, the city’s leaders would rather placate their far-left base than protect the people who actually live there. And the moment the Justice Department dares to hold them accountable, the usual chorus of media apologists cries “federal overreach.” Leavitt’s exchange with Kaitlan Collins was more than just a skirmish in the briefing room — it was a reality check. The press can keep whitewashing the chaos all it wants, but the truth is plain to anyone willing to look. Portland is burning, and pretending otherwise is exactly why the Trump administration refuses to let the city fall deeper into the mess it created.
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