President Trump may not have an actual nuclear button on his desk, but the procedures for his launching a nuclear attack is pretty straightforward, at least broadly speaking.
Trump used Twitter Tuesday evening, writing, “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform [Kim Jong Un] that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
The tweet prompted U.S. lawmakers who are sponsoring legislation to require the president to receive congressional approval before initiating a first-use nuclear strike from the United States, to also take to Twitter:
But when it comes down to it, what is the process for launching a nuclear attack? No one ― well, almost no one ― knows for sure, but there are some broad processes that are public, as outlined in this CNBC video: