Trump channels his inner Jimmy Carter. Ruinous.

July 13: On This Day In 2018

It may have been the moment which cost him his presidency.

In his debate with Ronald Reagan, one week before Election Day 1980, President Jimmy Carter revealed to the world the identity of the advisor who supplied key insights: “I had a discussion with my daughter, Amy, the other day…to ask her what the most important issue was. She said she thought nuclear weaponry and the control of nuclear arms.”

Amy was 13 at the time. Carter was mocked for relying on her when making policy decisions. Days later, Carter got crushed in the election. Perhaps a president should seek info about nukes from somebody other than a family member?

But Donald Trump didn’t get that message. OTDI 2018, Trump explained to the world that he too gets his nuclear insights from his family: “Proliferation, to me, is the biggest problem in the world. I understand nuclear. I used to talk nuclear with my uncle."

The voters in 2020 also ran Trump out of office.

One difference between the men: Carter had the good sense to bow out gracefully after his defeat and live a distinguished life as ex-president. Trump? Not so much…

Btw, regardless of who was feeding Trump information, he didn't seem to listen. As Josh Rogin put it in the WaPo, regarding the 2016 debate: "When nuclear weapons policy came up in Monday’s presidential debate, Donald Trump showed once again that he doesn’t have basic knowledge of the details, and ...experts said Trump simply didn’t know what he was talking about."

Dive Deeper

• Politico has the Trump transcript

• WVXU recounts the tale of Jimmy and Amy Carter

• Rogin, in WaPo, reviewed Trump's ignorance

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Summary: Trump relies on family for nuclear policy