On several occasions, Trump’s stance on nuclear weapons and policy varied wildly within the same interview. In one March 2016 interview, Trump stated “I’d be the last one to use the nuclear weapons”, and appeared to deplore the idea of nuclear warfare.
For a man best known as a real estate mogul and reality television star, Trump has historically been quite outspoken about nuclear weapons and their use. Trump has frequently attributed his interest in nuclear defence technology to his uncle, the late Professor John G. Trump, who was a prominent electrical engineer at M.I.T. for most of his life. The way Trump tells it, Professor Trump often discussed the advancement of nuclear technology with his nephew, and in the process seems to have instilled both awe and fear of nuclear war in Trump. During a 1987 interview, Trump recounted a story where his uncle had discussed how simple nuclear technology was becoming, warning that “someday it’ll be like making a bomb in the basement of your house”. These stories stuck with Trump, and seem to have left him with a lasting fear of nuclear war and terrorism. This appears to account for Trump’s frequent statements abhorring the use of nuclear weapons; in multiple interviews, some even decades before his presidential campaign, Trump has openly expressed his dislike for nuclear arms, stating “I hate nuclear [weapons] more than any” and “I would like everybody to end it [nuclear weapons development], just get rid of it”.
In a strange twist however, Trump’s great fear of nuclear war also birthed his seemingly paradoxical enthusiasm for expanding US and international nuclear capabilities. In interviews going as far back as the 1980s, Trump often suggested that nuclear weapons proliferation is inevitable, and that the only way to prevent their use is for the US and other strong countries to have the largest and most sophisticated weapons. During a 1987 interview, Trump first expressed the idea of working with what was then still the Soviet Union; Trump stated that if he were in power, he would “make a deal” with the Soviet Union to use their shared nuclear strength to threaten other countries into reducing or eliminating their nuclear weapons. Thirty years later, Trump has clearly remained enthusiastic about this plan and, as his recent tweets suggest, would still like to pursue Russian co-operation on international nuclear policy.
More recently in March 2016, Trump told a CNN interviewer that “It’s going to happen anyway. It’s only a question of time. They’re [other countries] going to start having them [nuclear weapons]”. He went on to suggest that countries such as Japan and South Korea – which he appeared to deem more trustworthy – should be allowed to have their own nuclear arsenals to serve as a deterrent to more volatile nations such as North Korea. Trump’s calls for the US nuclear expansion also stems from his viewpoint that a formidable US nuclear weapons stockpile would intimidate other countries against building or using their own. Trump’s firm opinion that the US should pursue nuclear superiority was demonstrated the day after his controversial tweet that the US should “expand and strengthen” its nuclear defences. During an off-air discussion about the tweet with a television show host, Trump reportedly stated that he was not afraid of starting a nuclear arms race, as he believed that the US would “outmatch” and “outlast” any country that attempted to rival its arsenal.
Piecing together Trump’s historical influences and opinions on nuclear policy has shown a small thread of consistency. However, while this might provide some insight into Trump’s approach to nuclear weapons, it cannot be viewed as an accurate projection of his future nuclear policies as the 45th President of the US. Throughout Trump’s presidential campaign – and even his career – the only consistency that he appears to have demonstrated is a habit of changing his standpoint. In the whirl of discussion surrounding Trump’s statements, one thing is clear: the use of nuclear weapons by any nation would have devastating consequences for a great many people. Whether Trump therefore pursues proliferation or deactivation, it will hopefully be done with an understanding of the seriousness of the issue.