CNN’s graphics team is now in the business of fact-checking presidential candidates.
An on-air headline called out GOP nominee Donald Trump Thursday for claiming he never suggested Japan should have access to nuclear weapons.
The banner under the casino tycoon read: “Trump: I never said Japan should have nukes (he did).” The graphic came on the heels of Trump accusing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton this week of misrepresenting his foreign policy platform.
“[She] made a speech, she’s making another one tomorrow, and they sent me a copy of the speech,” he told a crowd of supporters Wednesday. “And it was such lies about my foreign policy, that they said I want Japan to get nuclear weapons. Give me a break.”
“See, they don’t say it: I want Japan and Germany and Saudi Arabia and South Korea and many of the NATO states, nations, they owe us tremendously, we’re taking care of all those people and what I want them to do is pay up,” he added.
In April, however, Trump clearly suggested that it’s time Japan acquire a nuclear arsenal of its own, in an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace.
“It’s not like, gee whiz, nobody has them. So, North Korea has nukes. Japan has a problem with that. I mean, they have a big problem with that. Maybe they would in fact be better off if they defend themselves from North Korea,” the billionaire said.
“With nukes?” the Fox anchor pressed.
“Including with nukes, yes, including with nukes,” Trump answered.
Later, in March, Trump repeated himself to CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“Can I be honest with you? It’s going to happen anyway,” Trump said of Japan acquiring nuclear weapons. “It’s going to happen anyway. It’s only a question of time. They’re going to start having them or we have to get rid of them entirely.”
He added in reference to the U.S. policy of blocking Japan’s access to nuclear power, “Maybe it’s going to have to be time to change, because so many people – you have Pakistan has it, you have China has it. You have so many other countries are now having it.”
“You have so many countries already — China, Pakistan, you have so many countries, Russia — you have so many countries right now that have them,” he said. “Now, wouldn’t you rather, in a certain sense, have Japan have nuclear weapons when North Korea has nuclear weapons?”
(h/t Leon Wolf)
