Donald Trump‘s ‘destabilising’ rhetoric risks causing a global scramble to develop nuclear weapons, defence expert Patrick Turner has told the Mail’s new news podcast ‘Apocalypse Now?’.
Turner is science and technology editor for security publication Defence One and a former colleague of the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, the journalist embroiled in the signal ‘war plan’ leak scandal.
He was asked by the Mail’s special correspondent David Patrikarakos whether the era of America being the key power broker in global conflicts was coming to an end, as a result of Trump’s fractious relationship with key allies.
Turner argued that not only could America’s role be diminished if the withdrawal from crucial alliances continues but also that the administration risks incentivising smaller nations to develop their own nuclear arsenals.
‘Simple mistakes and the personality defects that show up in this administration’s rhetoric is damaging’, Turner said.
‘If they don’t get a handle on this – that damage could be long-lasting. I don’t think American citizens realise that if countries start viewing US leadership as fragile, they will begin to create alliances outside of the US.
‘We’re witnessing a rush from different countries around the world to develop their own nuclear weapons capability because they no longer have trust in the US nuclear deterrent.
