Trump targets officials who leak information to the press. Then stresses ‘leakers should be shot,’ calls them ‘scum of the Earth’

President Donald Trump called for severe punishment for government employees who leak sensitive information to the media, saying they should face prison or even be shot, according to NBC News. Speaking at a rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, Trump accused leakers of putting military operations at risk and turned his criticism toward journalists covering the event.

“Leakers should be, in my opinion, leakers should be shot,” Trump said, referring to people who reveal details about planned military operations. He argued that disclosing information about when an attack would take place could compromise the mission and endanger those involved.

Trump then described a planned raid on Iran that he claimed he had to call off after someone leaked the timing of the operation. He appeared to be referring to the U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, which ultimately went ahead.

Trump thinks media is evil

Trump claimed that someone had revealed when American forces would depart from Missouri and arrive at their destination. “Somebody leaked, some sleazebag. They ought to go to jail or be shot,” Trump said, adding that leakers should spend the rest of their lives behind bars. He later described them as “the scum of the Earth” and called for them to be dealt with “very, very strongly.”

He also criticized the journalists covering his rally, suggesting they were almost as bad as the people who leak information to the press. He accused reporters of sharing false information and argued that doing so made them leakers as well.

The president has repeatedly pointed fingers at the news media, previously calling it the “true Enemy of the People.” Since Trump returned to office, his administration has pursued several measures aimed at identifying and preventing leaks. One proposal would require new and existing federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements.

According to The New York Times, federal investigators have also subjected around 50 members of the U.S. military’s Joint Staff to polygraph tests while questioning them about whether they had shared classified information with journalists. The administration also attempted to compel four journalists to testify before a federal grand jury, as per The Washington Post. However, these subpoenas were dropped after the newspapers challenged the move.

He also banned some media outlets from accessing the White House. A U.S. district judge dismissed the ban, ruling that it likely violated the Fifth and First Amendment rights of the journalists.