Game Change author John Heilemann blasts Trump over his 'demented and deranged' nuclear button tweet

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter)

published 3 January 2018

Speaking on Morning Joe on Wednesday, Game Change author John Heilemann did not hold back in his blistering criticism of President Trump's tweet that taunted North Korea over the unimpressive size of its nuclear button. Trump "is not merely being cavalier with a threat about nuclear war," said Heilemann. "He's being cavalier in a way that makes him seem demented and deranged."

Heilemann had also pointed out that neither Republican nor Democratic presidents in the past have ever before treated the nuclear threat in a "cavalier" way. Trump's comments make none "of our serious allies or adversaries around the world think he's a serious person talking in this way about the most serious threat that the world ever faces," Heilemann insisted. Watch his comments below, and read more responses to Trump's tweet here. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.