Nuclear security

Graphic: Donald Trump’s Terrifying Views On Nuclear Weapons

On Wednesday, Donald Trump will lay out his foreign policy vision in a speech in Washington, D.C. The speech has been advertised by the Trump campaign and others as an opportunity for the candidate to begin to discuss his policy proposals on international affairs and nuclear weapons proliferation. However, in prior appearances and interviews throughout the campaign, Trump has shown that he is erratic and reckless in temperament, unfamiliar with the basic responsibilities of American security and global leadership.

For one, he has put forward the idea that, despite U.S. efforts to prevent further nuclear proliferation, it is probably “going to happen anyway.” Trump has suggested that the U.S. is currently too economically and militarily weak to effectively deter allied nations facing regional threats (such as Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia) from developing nuclear weapons of their own. And, he told the New York Times Editorial Board that if the U.S. “keeps on its path, its current path of weakness, they’re going to want to have that anyway, with or without me discussing it.”

Arguably worse than his claims of resigned acceptance to the spread of nuclear weapons has been his active support of the further development of such weapons, as well as multiple statements suggesting how he would consider using them. In the same interview with the New York Times Editorial Board, Trump claimed that the U.S. “may very well be better off” if allied countries, like Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, developed nuclear weapons. And in a televised town hall on MSNBC, Trump wouldn’t rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe, saying, “I’m not going to take it off the table.” This followed an interview the week before with Bloomberg Politics, where he hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Islamic State.