‘Should be shot’: Donald Trump rants about sources leaking news to outlets and reveals how he believes they should be treated

At a Wednesday rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, President Donald Trump told supporters that people who leak sensitive military information to news outlets deserve the harshest possible punishment. He stated that, in his view, the penalty for such sources should be death. The president put it this way: “In my opinion, leakers should be shot.”

According to Mediaite, he went on to recall past practices, saying, “In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know?” Many people in the audience responded with cheers. Trump raised the topic after talking about a source he called a “sleazebag” who shared details of a 2025 operation against Iran with The New York Times and CNN.

According to the president, the leak included word that the military planned to use “totally stealth” B-2 bombers against Iranian nuclear sites. He said the information covered the departure point in Missouri and the scheduled launch time for the aircraft.

Details of the leaked Iran operation and Trump’s stance on sources

Trump recounted that he spoke with General Dan “Razin” Caine about whether to call off the strike once the plans had been exposed. He decided to move ahead anyway with the mission known as Operation Midnight Hammer. Even after that choice, he maintained that the person who shared the information should still be “shot.”

He laid out why he saw the leak as so serious. “When they leak what time you’re going to attack a country – and the reason you’re attacking is really for defense, because you don’t want them to have a weapon that can blow up millions of people at one shot – No, leakers should be dealt with very, very strongly,” Trump said. He finished the thought by calling such people “the scum of the earth.” 

The remarks came while Trump was on a multi-state tour aimed at boosting Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections. Recent stops have included Alabama, Texas, Nebraska, and Ohio. He also made headlines with his Tennessee rally remarks ahead of midterms.

He predicted that GOP candidates would surprise Democrats and pollsters in November when they “shove it up their a–.” Turning back to Iran, Trump offered a light comment about the results of the strikes. He said he “might’ve went too far” by eliminating so many of the country’s theocratic leaders. He added that the large number of deaths has made talks with remaining officials more difficult.