Geopolitical risk: Trump's Nuclear Saber Rattling?
Trump's "either/or" ultimatums are getting old, but this one includes some veiled nuke imagery. This is not the first time.
Dr Strangelove: “I love this guy.”
Trump: “Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again.” (Yes, a direct quote from Trump’s Truth Social 6-13-26 post below.)
Much of the posturing is to be expected and especially the attack on the Obama plan. Then Trump takes another dark turn that reflects his state of mind. The threat of the “ultimate alternative” crosses into the realm of the apocalyptic even if it comes with the asterisk of the bluster and “mentality” of the guy it came from.
This is not the first time in this circumstance that nuke imagery was waved around (remember the whole “obliterate civilization” thing?), but this time the media barely addressed it. The media is truly cowed or simply exhausted (or both). The CBS events of late may become the norm.
For markets, they will get a vote if the deal does not happen. The earlier threats of “taking the oil” and full destruction of infrastructure, power plants, and water are easy enough to believe. What shocks us is the lack of weekend media focus on the implied nuke threat.
For now, this language goes under the heading of geopolitical risk at a time when Russia threatens NATO and China will most certainly look to consolidate control of Taiwan under the long established One China policy at some point.
Being the first nation to go nuclear since the US did it the first two times in WWII is sending a bad signal to Russia as they are busy losing the war with Ukraine. It also signals China to jack up the nuke and missile arms race even more or even to move more quickly in Taiwan. Words have meaning even if a lot less when spewed by this character.
Excess in threats could someday be taken seriously. It also offers Europe another reason to revamp their security plans and how to position a nuclear umbrella. Some might say it is the most extreme version of distracting from the Epstein files. It is also safe to say “Reichstag Mushroom Cloud” has a bad ring to it.
The refuge of the weak and cowardly (e.g., GOP Senators) is “he does not mean it” and “he would never do it.” They say that about him canceling or nullifying elections also. He has already pursued a path of “constitutional amendment by executive order.” Dangerous times.