Politics

Trump Reportedly Asked Whether Nuclear Bombs Could Keep Hurricanes At Bay

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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President Donald Trump reportedly asked Homeland Security officials whether a nuclear blast could be used to disrupt hurricanes before they made landfall, according to Axios.

Jonathan Swan delivered the details in his Sunday newsletter, citing sources familiar with a memo that came out of a 2017 hurricane briefing:

During one hurricane briefing at the White House, Trump said, “I got it. I got it. Why don’t we nuke them?” according to one source who was there. “They start forming off the coast of Africa, as they’re moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can’t we do that?” the source added, paraphrasing the president’s remarks.

Critics of the president — including 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful and California Sen. Kamala Harris — were quick to jump on the news. (RELATED: Here’s What You Absolutely Need To Know For Hurricane Season)

Film director Peter Ramsey referenced the cult SyFy movie “Sharknado,” noting that the theory had been tested onscreen before.

The Axios report also noted that the suggestion to nuke hurricanes was only added to the memo because everything the president said was recorded. No further attempts were made to push the idea, and it “never entered a formal policy process.”