The White House on Wednesday said President Trump is concerned about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s mental fitness in response to a question from an NBC reporter on Trump’s stability.
NBC anchor Peter Alexander asked White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders if Americans should be “concerned about the president’s mental fitness” after he tweeted that he has a bigger nuclear “button” than Kim has.
{mosads}
“I think the president and the people of this country should be concerned about the mental fitness of the leader of North Korea,” Sanders responded. “He’s made repeated threats, he’s tested missiles time and time again, for years, and this is a president who is not going to cower down or be weak. And will make sure he does what he’s promised to do and that’s stand up and protect the American people.”
Trump’s tweet that he has a “much bigger & more powerful” nuclear launch button than North Korea has sparked fears that the president might blunder into a nuclear war.
Anchors and pundits on CNN began questioning Trump’s mental stability, with media reporter Brian Stelter questioning whether the president had descended into “madness.”
NBC’s Alexander followed up to ask why Trump would engage so cavalierly with Kim over Twitter if the White House believes he’s mentally unstable.
“This is a president who is committed to protecting Americans and protecting the people of this country and he’s not going to back down from that,” Sanders responded.