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President Trump called for the execution of “leakers” who expose US military secrets Wednesday at a midterm rally for Republican candidates in Arizona.
The president made the declaration as he fumed over an alleged leak involving the timing of Operation Midnight Hammer, a bombing campaign last summer that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Somebody leaked, some sleazebag. They ought to go to jail and be shot. For the rest of their life, they should be in jail,” Trump said.
“They leaked that we were leaving at 12:07 from Missouri, and it was in The New York Times, CNN,” the president continued. “They leaked the time that we were leaving, the time that we were arriving.”
Upon learning of the leak, Trump explained that he spoke to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and they decided to change the timing of the mission.
“I called off the raid,” the president told rally-goers.
Two days later, he and the general decided to move forward with the mission, deploying B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from the same Missouri base, and at the same time, as previously planned, Trump said.
“In my opinion, leakers should be shot,” Trump continued, doubling down on his call for executions. “In the old days, we used to shoot leakers.”
“When they leak what time you’re going to attack a country, and the reason you’re attacking is really for defense because you don’t want them to have a weapon that can blow up millions of people in one shot.”
Trump’s comments come a week after he approved the use of a military firing squad to execute convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hassan.
Hasan killed 12 US service members, one civilian and wounded 32 others during his November 2009 rampage at the Texas Army base.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has said Hasan’s execution in December will be livestreamed.
At the rally, Trump urged voters to show up at the polls for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who is running against incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s gubernatorial election, and other downballot Republicans.
Undefeated boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. took the stage at one point and urged Americans to stick together and keep “this country strong.”
“America is the best country in the world. If I died and came back a million times, I would always choose America,” he said.