Ex-President Donald Trump expressed concern about the possibility of nuclear weapons being employed and indicated a perceived danger of such an occurrence amid the ongoing conflict involving Israel.
When criticizing President Joe Biden, Trump remarked that discussions about the potential use of nuclear weapons were not as prominent during his tenure. He contrasted this with heightened apprehensions about nuclear weapons today. During a recent town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, the ex-president asserted that it is currently the most significant issue in the world.
“The level of power of nuclear weapons is incredible. Take Hiroshima or take Nagasaki and that was many, many decades ago and multiply that times 500, that’s what a big bomb would be today. Whether it’s Israel or major countries, nuclear weapons are the biggest problems we have,” Trump remarked.
TRUMP: "The only global warming we should be thinking about…is nuclear global warming." pic.twitter.com/qKpEWBP423
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 6, 2023
Israel has never officially acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons. However, remarks made after the October 7 Hamas attacks have fueled suspicions about Israel’s potential possession of such arms. Revital “Tally” Gotliv, an Israeli legislator, has openly supported the idea of deploying a catastrophic nuclear weapon to level Gaza.
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu proposed that nuclear weapons could be considered as an option for the conflict, leading to his subsequent suspension due to the comment.
The remarks received criticism from various nations, including Russia and Saudi Arabia. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry, raised doubts about whether it constituted an “official declaration” regarding Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons and called for an inspection.
In June, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nuclear monitoring organization, cautioned that the world was approaching a precarious situation regarding the possibility of a nuclear war.
The scientists highlighted the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The “Doomsday Clock” was adjusted to 90 seconds to midnight, its most elevated position ever, surpassing even the Cold War era.
In October, the Pentagon disclosed its efforts to develop a new nuclear bomb intended to replace the aging stockpile in the United States. The B61-13, a fresh iteration of the B61 gravity bomb, is designed to possess an explosive yield comparable to the B61-7 variant, amounting to 360 kilotons.
If precise, the recent bomb would carry an explosive force 22 times greater than the one deployed on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
The Department of Defense attributed the latest bomb with providing the president additional alternatives for targeting challenging and expansive military objectives.
