President Trump recently threatened jail time for an “anonymous” reporter who Trump claims leaked there was a second missing airman from the F-15E Eagle that was brought down in Iran and did so, by publishing such information.
After the fighter jet went down on April 3 only one airman—the pilot was initially recovered.
The second airman’s location reportedly remained unknown. With rescue efforts active.
But Trump’s accounts in the press conference where he threatened the anonymous reporter are not accurate—shortly after the first airman was located and rescued—multiple news organizations began reporting on the missing airman.
Trump, in a press conference on April 6 blamed an anonymous reporter and the news organization that published, falsely claiming they gave information to Iran.
But based on reports, multiple news organizations reported that a second U.S. airman was missing following the shoot-down of an F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran on Friday, April 3, 2026.
Trump accused the media of endangering the rescue mission by publishing this information, threatening to jail the journalist(s) involved to uncover the source.
Neither the reporter Trump kept referring to nor the news organization that leaked the information was named during President Trump’s press conference.
During his press conference Trump said they will go to the alleged media outlet and say, “national security—give it up or go to jail.”
Trump called the alleged reporter a “sick person.”
Though the second airman was ultimately located and rescued following help from the CIA—President Trump seeks to find said reporter.
Trump claimed it is was a point of National Security–and the reporter will “go to jail” if they do not give themselves up.
But Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said: “Journalists don’t work for the government and their right to publish government leaks is protected by the First Amendment which, despite Trump’s efforts, remains the law of the land, and does not disappear whenever the words ‘national security’ are uttered. To the extent that the government is allowed to withhold information, it’s up to the government to keep its secrets, not journalists.”
News organizations, First Amendment advocates, citizens across the U.S. as well as media organizations globally are calling on Trump to end his attacks on journalists.
Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute criticized the remarks as an attempt to intimidate the press and prevent reporting on matters of public importance.
Trump’s remarks are also seen as a significant escalation in hostility toward the media.
While the administration can launch investigations—compelling a reporter to disclose confidential sources face significant legal hurdles, including First Amendment protections and state-level shield laws.
While the Trump administration has attacked the (European) EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) a mandate that tech companies strengthen content moderation, increase transparency on algorithms, and protect user rights. It focuses on fighting illegal content, disinformation, and dangerous, as described in this European Commission news release Trump called it censorship—but European officials and commentators have argued that the U.S. is not a model of free speech, pointing to Trump’s actions against the press.
While President Trump expressed his intent to pursue journalists who reported on the missing second airman in Iran aiming to discover the source of the leak and claim it was a national security issue, something that has rarely had the power to override journalist privilege—constitutional experts suggest such demands by Trump will face large legal hurdles and Supreme Court challenges.
