Trump says ‘leakers should be shot’ at Arizona rally, days after approving firing-squad execution

President Donald Trump, campaigning in Bullhead City, Arizona, called for executing leakers of classified military information, saying they "should be shot" and are "the scum of the earth." He recounted a leak that he claimed delayed the June 2025 B-2 stealth bomber strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, known as Operation Midnight Hammer. Trump said he consulted General Dan Caine and changed the mission's timing. He did not present new evidence identifying the alleged leakers. The remarks came days after he authorized the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan.

President Donald Trump, campaigning in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday, called for executing people who leak classified military information, just days after authorizing the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former US Army officer convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. Trump recounted a leak that he claimed forced him to postpone the June 2025 B-2 stealth bomber strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, known as Operation Midnight Hammer. He stated that leakers "should be shot" and called them "the scum of the earth." According to Trump, the leak included the precise departure and arrival times of the bombers. He said he consulted General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and ultimately changed the timing of the mission, only to later proceed with the original schedule. Trump did not present new evidence identifying the alleged leakers. Later in the rally, he joked that the US had eliminated so many Iranian leaders that Washington is now struggling to determine whom to negotiate with, and claimed that US control of the Strait of Hormuz will bring fuel prices down.