Former Speaker Newt Gingrich on Sunday praised President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE for his focus on strengthening the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

"I think for the next president to say, 'You know, we're going to have to systematically rebuild our nuclear capability,' is exactly right," Gingrich said on "Fox News Sunday."

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The former Speaker laughed about liberals who were "terrified" Trump would fall in line behind Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that Trump is now telling Russia: "You want to make threatening speeches, let me show you what a threatening speech looks like."

"The truth is, the Russians have been rebuilding their nuclear capability," Gingrich added.

"We have allowed ours to weaken. The Chinese have been rebuilding their nuclear capability. The North Koreans are trying to build missiles to reach the continental United States. The Iranians are trying to build a nuclear weapon."

Trump on Thursday tweeted that the U.S. "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

Trump spokesman Jason Miller clarified later that day the president-elect was "referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it," especially among rogue state and terrorists.

But MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski on Friday reported that Trump told her in an off-air interview that he welcomed a nuclear arms race.

“Let it be an arms race, we will outmatch them at every pass ... and outlast them all,” Brzezinski recounted Trump saying.