MADDOW: Honestly, though, the American position on nuclear weapons worldwide for a very long time now, not just as a partisan matter but over multiple presidents, has been that we are trying to lead the way in reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world. He’s saying we’re going to expand our nuclear capability.

CONWAY: He’s not necessarily saying that.

MADDOW: He did. He did literally say we need to expand our nuclear capability. . . .

MADDOW: This sounds like really new policy. On nuclear weapons, it’s really a sensitive matter.

CONWAY: Well, of course, I would agree.

MADDOW: Who has the most nuclear weapons after us and Russia?

CONWAY: I don’t know. But I’m sure he does.

MADDOW: It’s France. India and Pakistan. One of the most important things about — to know about India and Pakistan having nuclear weapons is the number of nuclear weapons that they’ve got on launch status. Do you guys talk about that? Like is that like —

CONWAY: Well, I don’t. He’s surrounded by national security team.

MADDOW: If the United States announces a U-turn on nuclear policy, India and Pakistan don’t have any nuclear weapons on launch status. They could move them to that status because a new nuclear arms race is about to start.

CONWAY: So, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, Rachel.

MADDOW: But that’s what happens in the past when presidents have made even joking remarks about nuclear weapons. So, I think what I’m trying to get at is a lot of people are hiding under the bed right now because he doesn’t — it doesn’t seem like he knows what he’s talking about on this issue.

CONWAY: That’s not fair. It’s not fair.

MADDOW: Well, then, how can you make policy on Twitter and then say he’s making policy?

CONWAY: He’s not making policy on Twitter.

MADDOW: Expanding our nuclear arsenal and announces it on Twitter is a big deal.