Trump says federal officials who leak to media ‘should be shot’
President Donald Trump stated at a rally that government employees who leak sensitive information to the media should be shot. The comments follow administration efforts to tighten control over classified information and investigate leaks.
Why it matters
The rhetoric marks a significant escalation in the administration's adversarial stance toward the press and internal whistleblowers.
President Donald Trump said at a campaign rally Wednesday that there should be fatal consequences for any government worker who leaks sensitive information to the media. “Leakers should be, in my opinion, leakers should be shot,” Trump said. “You know, when they leak what time you’re going to attack a country.” Trump described what he said was a planned raid on Iran that he had to call off after someone “leaked the time we were leaving, the time we were arriving.” He appeared to be referring to the U.S. military strike on Iran nuclear facilities in June 2025, which still went ahead. “Somebody leaked, some sleazebag. They ought to go to jail or be shot.
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