White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and senior Trump administration officials blasted CNN and MSNOW on Monday, accusing the networks of deliberately ignoring an emotional White House event honoring families who lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
President Donald Trump declared Feb. 23 “Angel Families Day” during a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. Riley was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been released into the United States during the Biden administration — a case that has become a rallying cry for supporters of stricter border enforcement.
The criticism started early.
At 10:42 a.m., White House Communications Director Steven Cheung called out CNN and MSNOW on X, saying the networks were refusing to air what he described as a “powerful and moving event.” Quoting a clip of Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, speaking at the ceremony, Cheung wrote, “Sickening and horrific that CNN and MSNOW are outright refusing to broadcast this powerful and moving event. It’s like they don’t care about victims and their families.”
Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr piled on minutes later.
“President Trump is currently hosting a truly tear jerking event, signing a proclamation honoring Angel Families. And CNN and MSNow aren’t covering it,” Dorr posted. “Sick. Disgusting. Mask is off.”
The ceremony featured emotional testimony from multiple Angel Family members. One former NYPD officer described arresting Riley’s killer in New York City months before the murder — only to later see him on the news tied to the brutal crime.
Sickening and horrific that CNN and MSNOW are outright refusing to broadcast this powerful and moving event. It’s like they don’t care about victims and their families. https://t.co/Av5y70XSFu
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) February 23, 2026
Leavitt escalated the confrontation shortly after 11 a.m., directly targeting CNN.
“@CNN is a total disgrace,” she posted. “President Trump hosted a powerful event honoring Angel Families who lost loved ones at the hands of illegal alien criminals and deadly drugs – but CNN refused to cover EVEN one second of it.”
She went further, accusing the network of selectively covering stories that align with “the Left’s narrative” and claiming that the refusal to air such events is contributing to declining viewership.
When NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Garrett Haake objected to the administration’s attacks on the press, Leavitt fired back again.
“The President was attacking the media because networks like yours refuse to cover the stories of Angel Families,” she wrote.
Leavitt continued posting clips from the event, including remarks from Jody Jones, whose brother was murdered by an illegal immigrant. She argued CNN would “never show” his comments because they challenged the narrative that Trump’s immigration policies are racially motivated.
CNN responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation, saying it was focused on breaking coverage of a “historic blizzard” and bomb cyclone impacting millions in the Northeast at the time of the White House event.
“At the time of the White House event, CNN was covering the breaking news around the historic blizzard impacting millions of Americans,” a network spokesperson said.
MSNOW did not immediately respond.
The clash underscores the escalating war between the Trump White House and major media outlets — a battle increasingly centered on immigration, border enforcement, and whose stories get national airtime.
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