White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s Cult-Like Fox News Rant Exposes Trump’s War Failures

The following is a lightly edited transcript of the April 22 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here.

Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent.

It’s getting harder for Donald Trump’s propagandists to defend his handling of the war. Trump has been claiming a deal with Iran is near, yet Trump officials are leaking that his public outbursts have only complicated efforts to reach an agreement. Amid these realities, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went full cult on Fox News. She attacked the media for failing to worship Trump’s glory and delivered an obsequious monologue designed to lift his spirits. This underscores that even if Trump secures a deal, spinning this war as a success will be nearly impossible.

How Bad Is This Situation?

We’re unraveling all this with Emily Horne, a former National Security Council and State Department veteran, and one of our go-to experts on these topics.

Emily Horne: Thanks for having me, Greg.

Current War Status and Key Sticking Points

Sargent: We’re approaching the expiration of the two-week ceasefire. As of this recording, JD Vance’s trip to negotiate peace has been postponed after Iran failed to respond to the American position, though talks could restart at any time. There’s significant confusion about the status of the Strait of Hormuz. Emily, can you bring us up to date on where things stand?

Horne: Talks are off. There’s no plan for when—or if—they’ll restart. The Strait of Hormuz remains under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the true power in Iran. It’s IRGC missiles and drones that:

• Killed 13 U.S. troops
• Attacked U.S. embassies and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East
• Targeted Gulf oil and data center installations

The Trump administration is downplaying this damage while insisting victory is imminent. When officials claim to be in talks with the regime or suggest peace is possible, they often don’t grasp who truly holds power in Tehran. The IRGC, not the Iranian Navy or Air Force, is the real decision-maker. Yet the administration continues to misrepresent its own actions, such as bragging about strikes on the Iranian Navy and Air Force—neither of which were ever power centers. These claims, aired on Fox News, reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of Iran’s power structure and send a dangerous signal to negotiators.

"When they’re going out and bragging about them on Fox News, they don’t really know what they’re talking about. And it’s a real tell to negotiators in Tehran."