A little less than two weeks ago President Trump boasted that his “nuclear button” was much larger and powerful than Kim Jong-Un’s “nuclear button”. The lunacy and childishness of the tweet put aside the threat of nuclear war is real. It’s not some liberal hysteria that Trump could start a nuclear war or at least nuke another country because he was insulted or his ego was hurt. It’s a tangible, horrifying possibility of our times.
We have all, even people who despise Trump, have underestimated the President’s willingness and ability to start a nuclear war. So let’s clarify how he could launch a nuclear strike.
The President carries a card containing the codes to the launch the nuclear missiles, it’s commonly referred to as the “biscuit”. If the President is away from a fixed command center, like the Situation room, an aide-de-camp carries the “nuclear football”, a briefcase with the ability to launch a nuclear attack and the instructions to contact military commanders. To launch an attack the President, in consultation with the aide, would decide on an attack plan. After doing so he would have to get the authorization of the Secretary of Defense, who cannot legally veto the decision. If the Secretary of Defense refused he would be fired until someone would co-authorize the launch and verify the launch order is coming from the POTUS. After this, the attack order(s) would be forwarded to the National Military Command Center and again verified multiple times. If everything is clear then a nuclear attack is launched. This entire process could take place at any point in the day and in little time with little resistance. This was an advantage for decades but now it has become a disadvantage because of who our President is.
Trump doesn’t have temperament or intelligence to be President. Period. We know this from decades of accounts from people who have been around him, his actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, and his actions during his presidency. He is petulant, subject to mood swings, and might even be mentally unwell. His intelligence, policy-wise at least, is low. He can’t follow complex ideas and even admitted himself that he doesn’t like to read much. These simply aren’t the characteristics of good leaders, and certainly not good Presidents.
If we look back at history we can see what personality traits make a good commander-in-chief. Typically, they are well read, educated, and have spent years in some sort of public service. They are able to grasp the nuances of foreign and domestic policy. They are patient and thoughtful about their decisions. And lastly, they aren’t prone to fits of rage, insecurity, and pettiness. Trump lacks all of these personality traits; in short, he is the antithesis of a good leader. His combination of current personality traits and lack of “presidential” traits makes for a dangerous situation that could end up getting millions killed.
Thus it is time we become cognizant that a nuclear war isn’t just some plot of a movie or book anymore. It’s real, very real. There isn’t a completely sane President anymore to save us from that nuclear war anymore. And there are now other leaders who aren’t responsible and have obtained nuclear weapons. It could very well happen if a country, like North Korea, prodded the President so much that he’d launch an attack. Or if we were dragged into a war I don’t think he’d rule out nuclear weapons. It’s very possible that at some time during Trump’s tenure a country might be lying in rubble due to American nuclear bombs. That is terrifying but it is a sad truth of our times.