Trump calls the leaker a “sick person.”
President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to track down the source who revealed that U.S. forces were initially unable to locate a second downed F-15 pilot in Iran, warning that those responsible could face jail time.
“We’re looking very hard to find that leaker,” Trump said from the White House briefing room.
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The president argued the disclosure may have tipped off Iranian forces that another American was still unaccounted for.
“Well, [Iran] didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information,” Trump said.
He escalated the warning moments later, signaling a potential confrontation with the press.
“We’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘national security, give it up or go to jail,’” Trump added.
The reporting trail appears to begin overseas.
Israel’s Channel 12 was cited as first reporting that a second American pilot was missing, with journalist Amit Segal posting on X Friday morning that one crew member had been rescued.
“Western source: One of the American crew members was successfully rescued,” Segal wrote.
Segal later told The New York Post he was unsure if he was first, but made one point clear.
“I will protect my sources.”
U.S.-based outlets quickly followed.
Axios, widely seen as the first English-language outlet to match the report, published shortly after, with The Washington Post and others citing U.S. and Israeli officials familiar with the situation.
A senior administration official declined to name any specific reporter or outlet under scrutiny.
The episode now opens a volatile new front — not on the battlefield, but between the White House and the press.
Watch the clip below:
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump announces the admin is going HARD after whoever LEAKED the fact only ONE airman was saved
“When they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran, knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on land that was FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE.
“It… pic.twitter.com/9yENuxHpXw
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 6, 2026
