White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt began Monday's press briefing with a prayer shared offstage with staff, later asking reporters, 'Could you hear our amen in there?' The unusual start set the tone for a session heavily focused on the ongoing conflict with Iran, which Leavitt referred to as 'Operation Epic Fury.'
Leavitt reiterated that the campaign would conclude in 'four to six weeks,' a timeline first stated 30 days ago. When a reporter noted the lower end had passed, she responded, 'You do the math.' She also defended President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iranian desalination plants, which provide clean water to civilians, by saying Iran's 'best move is to make a deal' and that the US 'has capabilities beyond their wildest imagination.' She declined to clarify the legality of such actions.
On the possibility of ground troops, Leavitt said the president is not 'ruling out' that option. She warned Iranian military leaders would face 'military consequences' if they did not 'hold true to their words.' She repeatedly stated that many people are 'no longer on Planet Earth because they lied to the United States and they strung us along.'
When asked about economic turbulence from oil price spikes after the Strait of Hormuz closure, Leavitt called it 'short-term fluctuations for long-term benefit.' She declined to specify military objectives, saying disclosure would aid enemies. She also claimed TSA agents were unpaid because Democrats want 'millions and millions of illegal immigrants,' including 'murderers and rapists and thugs.'
Leavitt held up a paper showing coverage minutes of a shooting in Illinois, alleging media bias because the suspect is of Venezuelan descent. Asked about Pope Leo XIV's Palm Sunday statement that God 'does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,' she replied that America has existed for 250 years and service members appreciate prayers, without addressing the Pope's theological point.
