Donald Trump Jr. was criticized after he claimed it would be a "good" thing if his father—former Republican President Donald Trump—still had the United States' nuclear codes in his possession.
These are the codes which allow a nuclear weapons attack to be launched.
Trump Jr.'s comments amounted to the most absurd defense of his father yet in the weeks since his Mar-a-Lago estate was searched by federal agents.
Speaking at a campaign event for Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, Trump Jr. said if his father "actually still had the nuclear codes, it’d probably be good." His father once infamously asked why the United States wasn't using their nuclear arsenal against hurricanes.
You can hear what Trump Jr. said in the video below.
\u201c"If Donald Trump actually still had the nuclear codes, it'd probably be good."\n\n\u2014 Donald Trump Jr. with the latest Republican defense of Trump keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1661196986
Trump Jr. said:
“By the way, for the record, I’d say that if Donald Trump actually still had the nuclear codes, it’d probably be good."
“Our enemies might actually be like, ‘OK, maybe let’s not mess with them,’ unlike when they look at Joe Biden and they say, ‘You know what? We should attack now'.”
Trump Jr. was swiftly criticized.
\u201cDon\u2019t try the comic route doesn\u2019t work for u at all .There\u2019s nothing funny about the disgraceful antics of your corrupt father. Laugh at that.\u201d— robin722 (@robin722) 1661268834
\u201cBetween Ted Cruz & now Don Jr., the GOP seems to be moving toward a "drunken rant" style of stump speeches\u201d— Morgan Artyukhina (@Morgan Artyukhina) 1661271135
\u201cWe are almost at the \u201cOrange man is God and can do no wrong\u201d stage of denial.\u201d— \ud83d\udc51 Skoolius Caesar \ud83d\udc51 (@\ud83d\udc51 Skoolius Caesar \ud83d\udc51) 1661261454
\u201cWe are almost at the \u201cOrange man is God and can do no wrong\u201d stage of denial.\u201d— \ud83d\udc51 Skoolius Caesar \ud83d\udc51 (@\ud83d\udc51 Skoolius Caesar \ud83d\udc51) 1661261454
\u201cDon Jr. is one of the top Stand-Up Tragics. It's like a Stand-Up Comic, but you replace all the jokes with all out tragedy.\u201d— Mr. Newberger (@Mr. Newberger) 1661257694
\u201cI can\u2019t even \u2026. just part of the pathetic and disturbing circus that the GOP has become.\u201d— Gary Shapiro (@Gary Shapiro) 1661229712
\u201cThis is what insanity looks like.\u201d— PlanetNavaho (@PlanetNavaho) 1661238133
\u201cHe sucks at impersonating his dad and he sucks at this sad attempt at stand up.\u201d— Thomas Stansfield (@Thomas Stansfield) 1661226376
\u201cIs this attempt at stand up?\u201d— Jeremy Kohl (@Jeremy Kohl) 1661252267
\u201cWell, the downside - he'd blow us all up to kingdom come\n\nThe upside- Don Jr would go with us ( in the other direction, of course )\u201d— Lan (@Lan) 1661276094
Trump continues to face heavy scrutiny in the days since he alerted the world the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had executed a search warrant for his Mar-a-Lago estate.
In the days since the search, sources said Trump was in possession of classified material—including nuclear secrets—that prompted the intelligence community to voice concerns about national security.
Trump has hit back at suggestions he broke federal government policy regarding classified documents.
Additionally, his claims he had the ability to declassify any and all documents or information have been widely disputed by experts who've noted there is a specific federal process that must be adhered to before any information can be declassified.
But the classification of the documents' sensitivity is largely immaterial.
Trump was required to turn over all documents to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) when he vacated the White House. NARA later alerted the Department of Justice (DOJ) of his failure to do so.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
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