A former U.S. nuclear missile launch officer stars in a new ad released by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign on Friday, warning voters about the prospect of Donald Trump as commander in chief with his finger on the nuclear button.
“If the president gave the order, we had to launch the missiles,” Bruce Blair, who served as a launch officer at Ellsworth missile site in South Dakota, says in the ad. “That would be it. I prayed that call would never come. Self-control may be all that keeps these missiles from firing.”
The 30-second spot then highlights some of the GOP nominee’s tough talk, including wanting to “bomb the shit” out of the so-called Islamic State, being “unpredictable” and stating, “I love war.”
“The thought of Donald Trump with nuclear weapons scares me to death. It should scare everyone,” Blair adds in the ad, which features images of a missile silo.
Trump’s remarks regarding nuclear weapons have sparked criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. While he has said nuclear weapons should be the “absolute last step,” he made clear he would “never, ever” rule out using them.
The ad comes in the wake of renewed questions over the real estate mogul’s temperament, as critics have described him as impulsive and easily baited. Following last week’s presidential debate with Clinton, Trump spent several days feuding with a Latina beauty queen, even opining on the matter via Twitter very early in the morning.
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