After a week of negative news, Donald Trump has chosen to shake the most potent saber of all. The president stated in a post on his Truth Social website today that he has “ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions” in response to recent statements made by former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. (Trump may be referring to submarines equipped with ballistic nuclear weapons; all American submarines are nuclear-powered.) Trump went on to say, “Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.” Naturally, the next step is to say, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump’s statements might be meaningless. America’s sea-based nuclear deterrent is carried by submarines that frequently travel across international waters. Since each can carry up to 20 nuclear warheads on missiles that can travel over 4,000 miles, practically any location can be considered a “suitable region.” Furthermore, the Pentagon and the White House typically do not discuss the movements of America’s ballistic-missile submarines, so it’s possible that Trump did not even issue such orders.
Despite having little real influence in Russia, Medvedev has emerged as the country’s most prominent internet troll and frequently threatens the United States and its allies. Even in his own nation, he is not taken seriously. For months, he and Trump have been publicly insulting each other on social media. Trump told Medvedev to “watch his words,” while Medvedev, who is known in Russia as “Little Dima” because of his small size, warned Trump to keep in mind Russia’s “Dead Hand,” a purported doomsday system that could launch all of Russia’s nuclear weapons even if Moscow were destroyed and the Kremlin leadership was assassinated.
The issue is that, at least not this time, Trump is not going to post about two submarines and start a nuclear war. What is far more concerning is that the president of the United States believes that using ballistic-missile submarines as toys, objects to wave around, or simply because a Russian official has irritated him is acceptable.
Regretfully, Trump has never understood what “nuclear” means. “We have to be extremely vigilant and extremely careful when it comes to nuclear,” Trump stated during a Republican primary debate in 2015. Nuclear alters the entire situation. “For me, nuclear, the power, the devastation, is very important to me,” Trump said in response to a question posed by moderator Hugh Hewitt about which of the U.S. triad—land-based missiles, bombers, and submarines—would be his top priority.
However, it seems that the president’s reckless remarks in response to a Kremlin troll are unabated by that power and destruction. Trump must have received numerous briefings on nuclear weapons and how to order their use during his nearly five years in office, so one would think he would be a little less inclined to make such threats. He lives in the present, though, and seizing the moment is always the most crucial thing. He seems to have no awareness of the past or the future.
Trump is being careless with his nuclear threats. (I would describe them as “silly,” but that word is too weak when the chief even makes reference to nuclear weapons.) However, these threats accomplish two goals. They first assist Trump in upholding the myth that he wants to be tough on Russia, that he is prepared to hold Moscow accountable for its actions, and that he is not prepared to tolerate any criticism from those in the Kremlin. Naturally, he receives a lot of guff from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he appears to genuinely fear. Trump has never taken such a jab at Putin, and by using Medvedev as a stand-in, he can pound his chest without worrying about actually fighting someone who frightens him.
More importantly, Trump is aware that any nuclear-related or foreign-policy crisis can quickly divert attention from other news. When the world’s most powerful man begins discussing nuclear weapons, it is news, so the media will always focus on such moments. (And now I’m writing about it too.) This week has been awful for Trump: He has further damaged his reputation over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, the economy is in dire straits, and his approval rating is plummeting. A handy diversion is to use the implied threat of nuclear war to pick a quarrel with one of Red Square’s most immature and repulsive figures.
Submarines with nuclear weapons are not toys. Trump’s predecessors, the 11 presidents who have been the only other individuals in American history to have the power to order the use of nuclear weapons, were the only ones who truly understood this. They handled any statements pertaining to nuclear weapons with complete sobriety and gravity. They didn’t even bring up such topics unless they were explaining a well-thought-out policy to both allies and adversaries. They avoided petty arguments with foreign nations that possessed nuclear weapons. Additionally, they only thought about sending nuclear signals in times of crisis involving America’s vital interests.
But now, Trump has abandoned all of these red lines. He has ushered in a new era where the CEO can boost his ego and advance his political career by threatening to use the most potent weapons in the world. America used to be run by serious people. No more.
As of right now, Donald Trump’s nuclear-armed adversaries appear to have factored in some drama and silliness, and his latest social media rambling is probably going to be insignificant. However, the president—and America—may come to regret it if our enemies ever take such outbursts seriously.
