Donald Trump is at it again; or at least his spokeswoman is. Just days after the news broke that experienced Pentagon commanders are threatening to quit if Trump is elected president, his spokeswoman indicated that Donald Trump might be willing to use nuclear weapons if he manages a successful bid for the White House. Think Progress reports that, during an interview on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor on December 18, Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson asked, “What good does it do to have a good nuclear triad if you’re afraid to use it?”
The spokeswoman for Donald Trump, the reality TV star-turned-presidential hopeful, went on to infer that Donald Trump is more serious about actually using nukes than his Republican rivals. She suggested that while others vying for the GOP nomination might threaten to use nukes on America’s enemies, Donald Trump would actually be willing to use the nuclear triad to “fix” the world’s problems.
“We need to be discussing how we fix their problems, not just complaining and name-calling about who started this and who started that.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-5CWB-loIc
The frightening words of Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson came just days after Trump himself foundered in an epic fashion at the last GOP primary debate of 2015 in Las Vegas. During the December 15 debate, CNN reports that Donald Trump didn’t even seem to know anything about the nature of the nuclear triad when he was questioned about the triad and U.S. nuclear capabilities. His response was referred to by the trusted news outlet as “meandering.”
“I think we need somebody, absolutely, that we can trust, who is totally responsible, who really knows what he or she is doing. That is so powerful and so important…But we have to be extremely vigilant and extremely careful when it comes to nuclear. Nuclear changes the whole ball game.”
Donald Trump’s answer didn’t indicate an accurate understanding of the nuclear triad, which encompasses the “triad” of U.S. nuclear weapon launch/firing capabilities. These capabilities include the ability to launch nuclear weapons (intercontinental balistic missiles) from silos, launch nuclear missiles from submarines, and to drop nuclear bombs from airplanes. At no point during his debate response did Donald Trump touch on any of these capabilities, let alone mention all three.
Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt of Salem Radio Network, who was questioning Trump during the GOP debate, chose to ask a follow-up question, presumably giving Donald Trump the opportunity to clarify his answer. Trump was asked which of the three legs of the triad was his biggest priority. Unfortunately, when responding to the follow-up question, Donald Trump only confirmed his lack of understanding of the original question and the subject matter at hand.
“For me, nuclear, the power, the devastation, is very important to me.”
Not surprisingly, Trump’s critics were unimpressed with a potential POTUS so lacking in basic United States military terminology.
Anyone else think #DonaldTrump literally had no idea what the nuclear triad was, when asked about the outdated equipment? #GOPDebate
— Mike Bennett (@RealMikeBennett) December 16, 2015
Jan. 20, 2017: Donald Trump assumes command of the nuclear triad pic.twitter.com/NzxYHHZII8
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) December 19, 2015
Following the startling question from Donald Trump’s spokeswoman regarding why the U.S. has a triad if it’s afraid to inflict the carnage of nuclear weapons on the world, Raw Story reports that she was immediately taken to task by fellow interviewee Kurt Schlichter. Schlichter, who is a conservative columnist and Desert Storm veteran appeared momentarily stunned by the words of the Trump spokeswoman. He then went on to answer her question regarding why the U.S. doesn’t simply use nuclear weapons indiscriminately.
“The point of the nuclear triad is to be afraid to use the damn thing. You want to scare the hell out of the other side. And frankly, my side will be more scared if Donald Trump gets his finger on the button.”
Indeed, the world has already witnessed the horrible consequences of utilizing nuclear weapons; it happened in the not-too-distant past.
This isn’t the first time the Donald Trump spokeswoman’s words have dumbfounded, offended, and/or terrified much of the public. Earlier in December, Katrina Pierson appeared on CNN,where she attempted to defend The Donald’s controversial proposal to ban Muslim immigrants from seeking refugee in/relocating to the United States. While being interviewed by the network’s S.E. Cupp, she backed her boss’s plan to keep Muslims out of the U.S. by saying “So what? They’re Muslim.”
While the nation waits with bated breath for the primary election season to begin in late-February 2016, the words coming out of the Trump camp seem to be becoming increasingly divisive and unpredictable. Only time will tell if the unabashed bluster and rhetoric being unleashed by Donald Trump and his spokespersons will help or hurt his chances of securing the Republican nomination.
[Image Courtesy Of Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]