National security attorneys expressed concern following former President Donald Trump’s comments on nuclear weapons at a Fox News town hall on Wednesday.
Trump’s Nuclear Talk
When questioned by host Laura Ingraham about his supporters’ concerns for his “safety,” Trump responded, “I worry about their safety too.”
Trump Alarms Audience
He further stated, “These people, everybody in this room is in great danger right now. We have a nuclear weapon that if you hit New York, South Carolina is going to be gone too. I worry about their safety. I think it’s the reason I’m doing this.”
Leaking Nuclear Secrets?
National security lawyers are raising concerns about Trump possibly revealing classified details during a Fox News interview.
National Security Attorney Reacts
“Is Trump out there spilling the details on our nuclear weapons and the destructive range of those weapons in the midst of a Fox interview? Is it me or is he doing that?” Bradley Moss, a national security attorney, questioned, puzzled by the lack of media coverage on “the former president potentially revealing classified information about our nuclear weapons arsenal on live TV.”
Remarks Raise Eyebrows
“Did the former President just unlawfully disclose classified information? Or just simply make something up to scare South Carolina residents to vote for him?” pondered Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer, on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’m not aware of any acknowledged nuclear weapon that has that type of impact radius.”
The Ultimate Nuclear Horror
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans reports that the Tsar Bomba was the largest and most potent nuclear bomb ever tested. According to the museum, this bomb, unleashed during a Soviet Union test in October 1961, obliterated everything within a thirty-six-mile radius, with damage extending up to 150 miles.
A Hypothetical Terror
In a hypothetical scenario, even if the Tsar Bomba were deployed in New York, it’s unlikely to impact South Carolina. Furthermore, Nukemap, a website designed for simulating nuclear explosions, indicates that a 100-megaton Tsar Bomba detonation over New York would be catastrophic, resulting in over 8 million fatalities and more than 6 million injuries.
Destructive Footprint
The bomb’s fireball radius, which inflicts the most severe damage, would span 4.17 miles; the moderate blast damage would extend to 20.3 miles; the thermal radiation would cover 45.8 miles; and the light blast damage would spread to 57 miles from the site of the detonation.
America’s Nuclear Arsenal
The B83, with its peak yield of around 1.2 megatons, stands as the United States’ most powerful nuclear weapon. The looming threat of nuclear warfare has intensified in the wake of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, evidenced by frequent discussions on Russian state television about leveraging their nuclear prowess against Western adversaries.
Yet, the actualization of this threat may diverge from the scenario of a nuclear bomb landing on American territory.
Russia’s Orbital Nuclear Strategy
Recent reports from American intelligence suggest that Russia might opt to launch a nuclear device into orbit in 2024, with a focus on disrupting satellite communications rather than targeting cities, a strategy less likely to provoke immediate counterattacks.
Public Skepticism
Social media reactions to Trump’s statement about a nuclear weapon’s reach have been skeptical. Justin Baragona from Daily Beast humorously noted the 705-mile distance between NYC and Columbia, South Carolina, mocking the implied blast radius.
“The distance between NYC and Columbia, South Carolina is 705 miles. That’s a heck of a blast radius!” Baragona shared on X.
A Normal Presidential Thing?
Meanwhile, Molly Jong-Fast, an author and journalist, sarcastically referred to it as a ‘totally normal presidential thing to say.’
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