President Donald Trump urged the execution of individuals who disclose information to the press during a campaign rally, as he expressed anger over what he considered negative media reporting on the war in Iran .
“In my opinion, leakers should be shot. They should be shot. In the old days, we used to shoot leakers,” The President and his allies have repeatedly criticized news coverage of the Iran war, arguing that it portrays the conflict unfavorably. The three outlets filed lawsuits against Trump, arguing that his actions infringed on their First Amendment rights, and secured temporary relief from the courts.
Speaking at a campaign event in Bullhead City, Arizona on Wednesday, Trump said.
His rally in Arizona was part of an intensive month-long effort to rally support for Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The campaign is widely expected to focus heavily on the cost of living and the state of the economy. It was his third campaign event of the week, following appearances in Ohio and Alaska. Additional rallies are planned for next week, with the president expected to continue campaigning across the country through Election Day.
Trump’s emphasis on identifying leakers, along with other issues such as his calls for political opponents to undergo cognitive tests, risks drawing attention away from the central message he hopes to deliver before the midterm elections. Trump was also scheduled to hold events in Montana later Wednesday and in Georgia on Friday.
