"Let it be an arms race": Trump's stunning response to questions about nuclear proliferation

But on Friday’s Morning Joe, during an off-air conversation with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, Trump daftly asserted — according to the MSNBC duo — “Let it be an arms race, we will outmatch them at every pass. And outlast them all.” Remarkably, the comment came following an appearance on Morning Joe with newly-named White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who allegedly phoned the President-elect while sitting with Brzezinski and Scarborough; when the phone was transferred over to Brzezinski, the above comment was reportedly made by Trump.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the Tweet on Thursday, but earlier this week Russian president Vladimir Putin used similar language to discuss Russia’s own use of nuclear forces. Jason Miller, the incoming White House communications director, later clarified that the President-elect was simply, “emphasiz[ing] the need to improve and modernize our deterrent capability as a vital way to pursue peace through strength.”