Leavitt, Collins Clash Over Portland Guard Deployment

At an Oct. 6 White House briefing, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed press secretary Karoline Leavitt over President Trump’s plan to dispatch National Guard troops to Portland after an Oregon federal judge temporarily blocked the deployment. Collins cited the judge’s finding that the deployment was “untethered” to conditions on the ground and said Portland’s police chief disagreed with the president’s assessment; Collins later posted that she had been quoting that police chief. Leavitt defended the administration’s authority, criticized the judge’s ruling, urged Collins to “go on the ground” herself, and accused her of relying on partisan officials. The White House confirmed it will appeal, said it expects a quick hearing, and expressed confidence it will prevail on the merits. Video clips of the heated exchange quickly circulated on social platforms.