Do Jen Psaki and her producers even hassle to do their due diligence anymore? Thursday night time’s The Briefing on MSNBC painted President Trump’s announcement to check the US’ nuclear capabilities “on an equal foundation” with our adversaries as an arbitrary and complicated resolution with out offering correct context or rationalization.
Psaki first learn a cherry-picked choice from the submit by Trump asserting new “Nuclear Weapons” exams and declared, “… this announcement actually got here out of nowhere, and it is not even clear what sort of nuclear check he means or why it is so pressing to do them now.”
If you happen to have a look at the literal Reality Social Publish she displayed on display, Trump said the reasoning behind the choice was “Due to different international locations testing packages,” which Psaki conveniently didn’t learn aloud!
The submit additionally explicitly talked about Russia and China. Did Psaki’s crew not know Russia examined a nuclear-capable missile and a brand new nuclear-powered underwater drone lower than every week prior? China was additionally suspected to have been testing nuclear weapons attributable to suspicious exercise at a testing web site in current reminiscence.
She then performed a clip from earlier within the day of Trump gaggling with press on Air Power One the place he mentioned there are “others doing testing,” which she claimed to not perceive:
Others are testing? I imply, like who? We do not actually have any concept what he is speaking about, as a result of the opposite nuclear superpowers, Russia and China, haven’t detonated a stay nuclear weapon because the Nineteen Nineties. America itself has not detonated one since 1992, which was 33 years in the past. So, it is actually unclear what precisely is motivating Donald Trump to do that proper now, to place out that assertion final night time.
The Trump administration hasn’t but revealed if precise warheads have been to be dropped or if the missile-launch programs shall be given some observe runs. Regardless, what is clear is that Trump was matching Putin’s escalation like a traditional western standoff; primarily the tried and true Chilly Struggle-era technique of enjoying rooster with the Soviets. Psaki was enjoying dumb.
Psaki then facetiously introduced up the current fiasco contained in the Pentagon over a brand new Netflix movie, A Home of Dynamite, “So clearly that film struck a nerve contained in the Trump administration. May it have gotten below Trump’s pores and skin, too? May it have prompted, for instance, a shock announcement submit about resuming nuclear exams? We do not know.”
The insinuation was innocent sufficient, however served to delegitimize Trump’s deal with on rising world tensions and intra-administration affairs.
Vice President JD Vance’s remarks on the topic from earlier within the day about stretching the legs of our nuclear capabilities have been additionally used to make the administration seem wishy-washy. Psaki ultimately relented, “… now we have no authentic cause to consider that there are any issues with America’s nuclear capability. Even the Vice President walked his earlier assertion again. However now we have each cause to query how significantly this administration takes its accountability on the subject of nukes.”
What Vance was presumably referencing was the embarrassing story from final years about how corrupt parts of China’s Rocket Power allegedly crammed gas tanks with water.
All in all, Psaki was not involved in really reporting what was happening, and as an alternative wished to make Trump and his crew look as silly as doable. Both her situational consciousness has deteriorated like Biden’s, or she was deliberately deceptive MSNBC’s ever-shrinking viewers.
The transcript is under. Click on “develop” learn:
MSNBC’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki
October 30, 2025
9:29:53 p.m. EST
JEN PSAKI: Okay. Simply earlier than his massive assembly with Chinese language chief Xi Jinping yesterday, Donald Trump made, I imply, I assume you might name it a shock announcement posting, quote, “I [have] instructed the Division of Struggle to begin testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal foundation. That course of will start instantly. Thanks on your consideration to this matter!” There you go.
Only a completely regular President speaking about nuclear weapons in a completely regular means. And what may go mistaken? I imply, this announcement actually got here out of nowhere, and it is not even clear what sort of nuclear check he means or why it is so pressing to do them now. And when reporters attempt to get some readability from the President, he solely made issues far more complicated.
[Cuts to clip]
PRES. DONALD TRUMP [on 10/30/25]: They appear to all be nuclear testing.
REPORTER [on 10/30/25]: Russia?
TRUMP [on 10/30/25]: We’ve got extra nuclear weapons than anyone. We do not do testing. We have halted it years, a few years in the past. However with others doing testing, I feel it is applicable that we do additionally.
[Cuts back to live]
PSAKI: Others are testing? I imply, like who? We do not actually have any concept what he is speaking about, as a result of the opposite nuclear superpowers, Russia and China, haven’t detonated a stay nuclear weapon because the Nineteen Nineties. America itself has not detonated one since 1992, which was 33 years in the past. So, it is actually unclear what precisely is motivating Donald Trump to do that proper now, to place out that assertion final night time.
What’s notable, and won’t be a coincidence, that’s that it comes simply after the streaming service, Netflix, launched a provocative new film on this very topic.
[Cuts to clip]
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
PSAKI: So that is the trailer for the Netflix film [A] Home of Dynamite, which portrays a nightmare situation by which the US is revealed to be much more susceptible to a nuclear assault than many want to consider. That film is, in fact, a piece of fiction. And but, the Pentagon was reportedly so anxious over that movie, they issued an inner memo arguing all of the ways in which the doomsday situation depicted within the film is not correct. So clearly that film struck a nerve contained in the Trump administration. May it have gotten below Trump’s pores and skin, too? May it have prompted, for instance, a shock announcement submit about resuming nuclear exams? We do not know.
What we do know is that the entire level is having — of getting a nuclear arsenal is deterrence, when our nuclear strike capability is what insurance coverage America’s enemies suppose twice earlier than taking motion towards us. And but, in the present day, Vice President JD Vance appears so intent on justifying the necessity for nuclear exams, those his boss introduced he needs to do, so decided to defend Trump’s resolution that he really advised that America’s nuclear weapons is probably not functioning correctly.
[Cuts to clip]
VICE PRES. JD VANCE [on 10/30/25]: I feel the President’s fact speaks for itself. We’ve got a giant arsenal, clearly. The Russians have a big nuclear arsenal. The Chinese language have a big nuclear arsenal. Typically you have gotta check it to ensure that it is functioning and dealing correctly.
[Cuts back to live]
PSAKI: Wait a minute. You are undecided that it is functioning correctly? I imply, the very last thing any member of any administration ought to do is solid doubt on America’s nuclear functionality. However that is precisely what the Vice President simply appeared to do. And Vance appeared to understand that in actual time, as a result of only a second later, he walked it again.
[Cuts to clip]
VANCE [on 10/30/25]: To be clear, we all know that it does work correctly, however you bought to maintain on high of it over time.
[Cuts back to live]
PSAKI: Okay. So now our nuclear arsenal does work correctly. Okay. That was multi functional assertion. Look, now we have no authentic cause to consider that there are any issues with America’s nuclear capability. Even the Vice President walked his earlier assertion again. However now we have each cause to query how significantly this administration takes its accountability on the subject of nukes.
Keep in mind, this is similar President who unintentionally fired after which needed to rehire all of the members of the company that oversees the protection of nuclear warheads on this nation, after which furloughed greater than 1,000 employees from one other nuclear security company throughout the federal government shutdown. So, what ought to we make of this President’s sudden resolution to begin testing our nuclear arsenal, or his want to, I assume? I’ve simply the individual to ask. Retired Lieutenant Normal Mark Hertling joins me right here proper after a fast break.
