Donald Trump doesn’t want to increase the U.S. nuclear arsenal tenfold, he claimed Wednesday afternoon after an NBC report that he wants to do exactly that. He just wants the existing nukes to be “in perfect shape.” (Like, could the military maybe look into slapping some gold leaf on those puppies?) But if there’s any comfort to be gained from Trump’s disavowal of massive nuclear growth—and there isn’t, because he lies—Trump’s renewed attacks on the media and the very notion of freedom of the press should have you all itchy and nervous again:
No, I never discussed increasing it, I want it in perfect shape. That was just fake news by NBC, which gives a lot of fake news lately. No, I never discussed—I think somebody said I want 10 times the nuclear weapons that we have right now. Right now we have so many nuclear weapons. I want them in perfect condition, perfect shape. That’s the only thing I’ve ever discussed.
Gen. Mattis put out a statement or is putting out a statement saying that that was fake news, that it was just mentioned that way. And it’s frankly disgusting that the press is able to write whatever they want to write. And people should look into it.
No, I want to have absolutely perfectly maintained, which we are in the process of doing, nuclear force. But when they said I want 10 times what we have right now, it’s totally unnecessary, believe me, because I know what we have right now.
“It’s frankly disgusting that the press is able to write whatever they want to write.” This just a couple hours after Trump asked “at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License?” The man hates the First Amendment. Hates the Constitution, hates our freedoms.
And he’s lying about wanting more nuclear weapons. Someone may have talked him out of it since the meeting NBC reported on, but NBC has “three officials who were in the room” when Trump said he wanted more nukes. Unnamed or not, that’s three people up against someone who lies as easily as he breathes. I know which side my money is on.