Trump Says Government Leakers 'Should Be Shot' at Rally
The Facts
- President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday that people who leak government information "should be shot." He called them "the scum of the earth" and said that "in the old days, we used to shoot leakers."
- Trump said a leak published by The New York Times and CNN revealed the departure and arrival times of U.S. bombers, delaying a mission by two days. He appeared to reference Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
- Minutes later, Trump compared journalists covering the event to leakers, saying they were "almost as bad" because they publish false information. He added that reporters often work "without a source" and claimed many sources are invented.
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The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Threatening to execute people who talk to reporters is not the language of a free country's leader. Whistleblowers are the only reason the public learns what really happens inside a war room, and threats of firing squads — plus home raids and newsroom subpoenas — are meant to scare the public. A government that can't stand being watched is the one that needs watching most.
Pro-Trump narrative
Publishing the exact minute American bombers lift off hands an enemy a targeting window and puts pilots' lives on the line. Anyone holding a clearance who hands attack timing to reporters has shattered a sacred trust, and prison is the mildest fitting response. Hand-wringing over tough talk rings hollow coming from outlets that built the whole story on anonymous sources nobody can verify.
