Stunning. Trump asked 3 times in an hour national security meeting why we can’t just use nuclear weapons
WATCH: https://t.co/viaFzW18vs
— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) August 3, 2016
Back in March, Donald Trump shunned the idea of foreign-policy advisers in lieu of his “very good brain,” but he eventually relented and brought in a mysterious team. And if this MSNBC clip is to be entirely believed, that team may possess an infinite amount of patience. As a businessman and reality star, Trump’s foreign policy expertise has left much to be desired, but he believes that his negotiating skills are the key to restoring world order. Trump University does not appear to have offered a basic international relations course at any point, nor does Trump appear to have ever taken one seriously.
On Wednesday, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough brought in former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden, who is also a retired U.S. Air Force four-star general. Hayden says he may not vote in this election, for he is very concerned about Trump’s “inconsistency and unpredictability” as reflected in the global arena. He also says “no one” among his peers is advising Trump. At that point, Scarborough related a story (while promising he was speaking carefully) that will likely frighten everyone:
“Several months ago, a foreign-policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump, and three times he asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times, he asked, at one point, ‘If we have them, why can’t we use them?’ … Three times, in an hour briefing, ‘Why can’t we use nuclear weapons?’ “
Quick-trigger fingers on the red button do not bode well. One only needs to witness the Washington Post‘s unprecedented alarm bells over Trump’s dismissive attitude toward NATO to know Trump has no intention of being a team player. He also wants to withdraw U.S. military troops from Japan and South Korea, which he believes should build nukes to protect themselves because this would save money. So, Trump essentially envisions a world where everyone has nukes, and everyone … just uses them. Or perhaps he believes only the U.S. should use their nukes, which also makes no sense.
For what it’s worth, Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks emailed The Hill with a denial: “There is no truth to this.”