March 31, 2016

Donald Trump Won’t Rule Out Using Nuclear Weapons in Europe

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/n3tel/5434963575/in/photolist-5nrmkz-9hgBjx-5nrmkt-4SQYDD-oskUH-5KnqeT-HkLZL-D4fR4D-DSh7AR-DaCGX9-xRyc1-xcB4KT-BmMeY2-2graPM-DvMQa7-BD3rgM-xGitau-9VT6fh-CtkRVA-zyLLPy-yUubdV-yUubNT-DrTAmo-yqiXpj-Dc1ymH-CmUnpV-DjhR3P-D9HSL5-DjhQUn-D9HSB7-D9HSym-DjhR7B-D9HSQy-CSb6F1-CmMfWQ-CKN5Pk-CKN5Qn-CKN5Nt-xVQrTM-DT6T8Z-aV86tg-CKpVmr-Dtthim-DttMNo-DvBPbe-CGns7o-DvC9rt-CSb6NA-xVQhrF-wYPuFS ">Mark Taylor</a>/Flickr

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Donald Trump refused to rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe during a town hall in Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Republican presidential front-runner was asked about his recent contradictory statements about nuclear proliferation—in which he said he was concerned about the spread of nukes while also suggesting that more countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, should be allowed to acquire them.

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, the host of the town hall, tried to pin Trump down on what circumstances might compel President Trump to deploy the United States’ nuclear arsenal.

“Look, nuclear should be off the table, but would there a time when it could be used? Possibly,” Trump said.

Matthews asked Trump to tell the Middle East and Europe that he would never use nuclear weapons, but Trump continued to evade. Asked again if he’d use nuclear weapons in Europe, Trump held firm. “I am not—I am not taking cards off the table,” Trump responded.

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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