Fastrack · Trump Says Government Leakers Should Be Shot

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that government officials who leak to the press should be shot. He spoke at a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona.

Trump called leakers "the scum of the earth."
He also said leakers "ought to go to jail, or be shot."
He said journalists are "almost as bad" as leakers.
The rally backed Rep. Andy Biggs and other Republicans before the midterms.

Why it matters: Trump said a leak of bomber departure times forced him to briefly postpone the June 2025 Iran strikes. He presented no new evidence identifying who leaked.

May: the administration proposed NDAs for all federal employees.
January: FBI searched the home of Post reporter Hannah Natanson.

How 10 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

High

Mixed

Low

Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 10 sources

10 sources · 10 articles · 50% Center coverage

Where they split: Outlets differ on whether the remark is mainly a threat to officials and the press or a statement about protecting military operations.

Center coverage, 5 sources: The center places the remark within a broader administration push to restrict disclosures and pursue leak cases.

NOTUS2hTrump Says Officials Who Leak Information to the Press ‘Should Be Shot’ - The Washington Sun Bloomberg1hTrump Says Leakers Should Be Shot, Veering Off Midterm Pitch Jerusalem Post0mTrump says ‘leakers should be shot’ at Arizona rally, days after approving firing-squad execution The Hill2hTrump says leakers should be shot: ‘They’re the scum of the earth’USA Today43mTrump says people in government who leak to media 'should be shot'

Left coverage, 3 sources: The left sees an alarming presidential call for violence that also targets journalists as near-equivalents of leakers.

Raw Story1h‘Scum of the earth!’ Trump floats shocking punishment for government leakers Mediaite2h‘Leakers Should Be Shot!’: Trump Dreams of Grim Fate for ‘Scum’ Sources Who Run to the New York Times and CNN Political Wire38mTrump Says Leakers Should Be Shot

Right coverage, 2 sources: The right reports the remark largely in Trump's terms, as anger over leaks that endangered a military operation against Iran.

Washington Examiner2hTrump says government 'leakers should be shot'Daily Mail56mTrump unleashes chilling 'leakers should be shot' call in rambling tirade about run-up to Iran strikes

What’s next: Trump is continuing a western campaign swing ahead of the November midterms.

The firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, which Trump approved, is scheduled for December 3.
Will the administration pursue new legal penalties for leakers beyond current law?
Who leaked the Operation Midnight Hammer timing, and was anyone charged?