Trump's logic is to escalate and the rest of the world will realize it's futile to compete and will be motivated to de-escalate? Modernize? Sure. But expand the arsenal? More likely this would push more nuke escalation from near-peers and proliferation among the wannabes which he espoused during his campaign.
Anyway. it remains to be seen what materializes from all this. You never know with Trump but when it comes to nukes uncertainty isn't probably a desirable thing.
Trump 'arms race' comment sows more doubt on nuclear policy | Reuters
Trump 'arms race' comment sows more doubt on nuclear policy
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sowed more doubt about his position on nuclear proliferation on Friday, reportedly welcoming an arms race even as his spokesman insisted that an atomic weapons build-up was not likely to happen.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, caused alarm on Thursday on Twitter, saying the United States "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."
On Friday, he had an off-air phone conversation about the tweet with MSNBC TV host Mika Brzezinski, who said Trump told her: "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all." MSNBC did not play his comments on air...
Twitter is Trump's communication method of choice. But its 140-character limit does not lend itself well to talking about complex geopolitical issues like nuclear proliferation fraught with risk, analysts charged.
"He must have leaders around the world trying to guess what he means," Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, said on Thursday.
Anyway. it remains to be seen what materializes from all this. You never know with Trump but when it comes to nukes uncertainty isn't probably a desirable thing.
Trump 'arms race' comment sows more doubt on nuclear policy | Reuters
Trump 'arms race' comment sows more doubt on nuclear policy
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sowed more doubt about his position on nuclear proliferation on Friday, reportedly welcoming an arms race even as his spokesman insisted that an atomic weapons build-up was not likely to happen.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, caused alarm on Thursday on Twitter, saying the United States "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."
On Friday, he had an off-air phone conversation about the tweet with MSNBC TV host Mika Brzezinski, who said Trump told her: "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all." MSNBC did not play his comments on air...
Twitter is Trump's communication method of choice. But its 140-character limit does not lend itself well to talking about complex geopolitical issues like nuclear proliferation fraught with risk, analysts charged.
"He must have leaders around the world trying to guess what he means," Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, said on Thursday.