Donald Trump having access to the nuclear codes will be the “gravest danger”, an expert has claimed ahead of the US election on Tuesday.
The Republican candidate is in Raleigh, North Carolina on the final day of campaigning as he looks to return to the White House.
Political scientist Paul Quirk told the Daily Express that Mr Trump becoming President would bring with it “dangers” – including his access to nuclear weapons.
He claimed: “If he becomes president again, there will be dangers—not only from his fully intentional authoritarianism, plans for retribution, and unvetted policymaking —but from the likelihood of impulsive, reckless, or simply deluded decisions.
“The commonplace about the president’s access to the nuclear codes points to the gravest danger. But a president can cause serious, even catastrophic harm in countless ways.”
Mr Quirk said he believes it “very likely” there will be “some violence” following the November 5 vote. The political scientist alleged Mr Trump losing the election could result in his supporters holding protests or even an attack similar to the one carried out on January 6 2021.
He continued: “If Trump wins, Democrats will fear that Trump and the Republicans will proceed to undermine the rule of law and may attempt violent resistance.”
Mr Trump rarely makes public remarks on the subject of nuclear weapons. In fact, he last mentioned them when he bizarrely said that they are the biggest threat to the American car industry.
According to reports from 2023, Mr Trump discussed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against North Korea in 2017, during his term in the White House.
The claim was made in a book written by New York Times Washington correspondent Michael Schmidt called ‘Donald Trump v. the United States.’
Mr Schmidt claimed that then-White House chief of staff John Kelly was concerned about Mr Trump’s deliberations.
He wrote: “What scared Kelly even more than the tweets was the fact that behind closed doors in the Oval Office, Trump continued to talk as if he wanted to go to war.
“He cavalierly discussed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against North Korea, saying that if he took such an action, the administration could blame someone else for it to absolve itself of responsibility.”
