True: Trump has advocated more countries getting nuclear weapons

“This is a person who has been very cavalier, even casual about the use of nuclear weapons. He has advocated more countries getting them. Japan. Korea. Even Saudi Arabia.” — Hillary Clinton

The Clinton campaign has blasted Trump for being too cavalier on nuclear weapons, including advocating the spread of nuclear weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea. On several occasions, Trump indicated an openness to other nations to obtain nuclear weapons, citing the cost of the U.S. to protect countries against regional threats.

“Well I think maybe it’s not so bad to have Japan — if Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Times, referencing the nation's ability to protect itself against a nuclear threat from North Korea.



And asked by Cooper if he had “no problem with Japan an South Korea” having nukes, Trump responded: “ At some point we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea. We're better off, frankly, if South Korea is going to start to protect itself.”

All noted, Trump’s past statements and positions on nuclear proliferation have been contradictory.

This story has been updated with additional context.