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Trump’s Policy: Nuclear Weapons

A number of Americans are unclear as to President’s Trump’s beliefs on several issues. I hope to clarify that using only the President’s words and actions. However, the results are objectively horrifying.

Trumps Statements/Actions on Nuclear Weapons:

On March 30th, 2016, the President was asked by Chris Matthews if he would drop a nuclear weapon in the Middle East. Mr. Trump said: “Let me explain. Let me explain. Somebody hits us within ISIS — you wouldn`t fight back with a nuke?”

The next day, he was pressed on Fox News to answer if he would at least say he would never drop nuclear weapons in Europe. He replied, “The last person that wants to play the nuclear card believe me is me. But you can never take cards off the table either from a moral stand — from any standpoint and certainly from a negotiating standpoint…Europe is a big place. I’m not going to take cards off the table. We have nuclear capability.”

President Trump has stressed the importance of remaining unpredictable in his potential use of nuclear weapons. In an interview with Bloomberg Politics on March 23rd, 2016, Mr. Trump said (regarding the use of Nuclear Weapons against ISIS), “Well, I’m never going to rule anything out. And I wouldn’t want to say — even if I felt it wasn’t going — — I wouldn’t want to tell you that, because, at a minimum, I want them to think maybe we would use it, OK?” In the same interview he went on to say, “The fact is, we need unpredictability.” This echoed his remarks in a January interview with CBS in which he said (regarding Nuclear Weapons), “And, you know, I use the word unpredictable. You want to be unpredictable.”

The President has said that the U.S. should expand its nuclear arsenal, tweeting in December of 2016: “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to it sense regarding nukes.” The President is also not opposed nuclear proliferation. When asked if he would let Japan and South Korea become nuclear powers, he replied “I am prepared to,” (CNN, 5/4/2016). Four days earlier on CNN, the President was indifferent to the possibility of Saudi Arabia gaining Nuclear Weapons, saying, “It’s going to happen, anyway. It’s going to happen anyway. It’s only a question of time.”

Summary

The current President seeks to expand the nuclear arsenal (he is the first President to take such a position since the end of the Cold War). Furthermore, he supports nuclear proliferation (he is the first President in history to take this position), specifically in the cases of South Korea and Japan, and is apparently indifferent to Saudi Arabia becoming a nuclear power. Finally, he will not rule out any use of nuclear weapons in any circumstance or in any region (including the Middle East and Europe) because he wishes to remain unpredictable; this indicates that he would use Nuclear Weapons preemptively, and sees them as more than just a deterrent. The President can launch Nuclear Weapons at any time with virtually no oversight.


In addition to the sources cited via hyperlink, an article from thinkprogress.org was used for research.

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