Dana Perino's remarks came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued the media's emphasis on U.S. casualties was meant to make Trump "look bad."
Fox News' Dana Perino is defending the "mainstream media" amid the Trump administration's ongoing criticisms of its coverage of the war in Iran.
Perino, who served as White House press secretary under former President George W. Bush, suggested that President Donald Trump and his cabinet members had been "focusing way too narrowly" on media coverage rather than strengthening their own messaging on the conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury.
"I consume a lot of media, and I know there are some bad actors in the media, but overall have to say, I feel like there is a ton of coverage," she said on Fox News' "The Five" on Wednesday. "I don't think it's all negative across the board."
"If you're in the administration and you're getting really hung up on what you think the 'enemy in the mainstream media' is saying about you, you're focusing way too narrowly. I don't think the coverage of it is that bad at all," she continued, after commending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their "regular briefings" on the situation.
Perino's remarks came after Hegseth held a Wednesday press briefing in which he argued that the U.S. was "winning decisively" in spite of the media's emphasis on the deaths of at least six American service members.
"When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it's front page news," he said. "I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad. But try for once to report the reality."
Later on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on Hegseth’s stance when questioned in a separate press briefing about the defense secretary’s remarks.
“It’s the position of this administration that the press in this room and the press across the country should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the damage it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American in this room,” she said. “If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person in this room.”
Trump's own messaging on the conflict has been spotty. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, he placed the blame on his predecessors, former President Barack Obama and former President Joe Biden.
A day later, however, he further muddied the narrative when he stated that "it was my opinion" that Iran was planning to strike first, despite Pentagon officials who said they had no evidence to support such a claim.