Trump Says Government Leakers Should Be Shot Dead, Sparking Concerns Over Press Freedom

President Donald Trump has said that government officials who leak classified information to the media should be shot dead, renewing concerns over his administration’s approach to whistleblowers, national security leaks, and press freedom.

According to Al Jazeera, Trump made the remarks Wednesday during a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, as he urged supporters to vote in the November 3 midterm elections.

“I think the leakers should be shot,” Trump said, arguing that in earlier times, people who disclosed sensitive military plans, such as the timing of an attack on another country, would have faced execution.

His comments referred to the U.S. military’s surprise strikes on Iran during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025. The operation, known as Operation Midnight Hammer, targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.

Following the operation, several media outlets published details from a preliminary assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency that had not yet been made public. The assessment reportedly indicated that Iran had managed to move some enriched uranium before the U.S. strikes and suggested that the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities might have been less extensive than Trump had claimed.

Trump accused The New York Times and CNN of endangering American military personnel by disclosing information about the timing of the strikes. He claimed the leaks forced officials to reschedule the operation by two days.

“Somebody leaked. Those dirty people should be put in jail, or they should be shot,” Trump said, adding that they should spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Trump has expressed anger over government leaks since his first presidential term. His administration has taken aggressive steps to identify the sources of unauthorized disclosures, including requiring administration officials and military personnel to undergo lie-detector tests.

His administration has also issued subpoenas seeking to identify confidential sources who provided internal information to journalists at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

Last year, the Pentagon required journalists seeking access to the department to sign an undertaking not to publish unauthorized information. Most journalists refused to accept the condition. A federal court subsequently struck down several of the new restrictions imposed on reporters.

At Wednesday’s rally, Trump again called for severe penalties against those responsible for leaks, saying they should face “very, very severe” consequences. He described leakers as “the worst people on Earth.”

The remarks have renewed debate over the balance between protecting classified national security information and safeguarding press freedom, particularly when journalists report on military operations and government assessments that differ from official claims.