9 times Trump or his top officials threatened to attack or nuke other countries in 2018

Throughout 2018, President Donald Trump and top officials in his administration stoked fears of impending military or nuclear action.By Twitter, interviews, or statements, the Trump administration threatened North Korea, Syria, Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia with military action.The administration was even held in violation of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as a result of some of the president's threats, delivered via tweet.In his first two years in office, President Donald Trump has become known as a mercurial head of state.The president frequently takes to Twitter to lash out against perceived enemies and defend his own decisions. He's also taken to using this platform and many others to threaten violence.Although he has followed up on only some of these threats, in October a nuclear watchdog released a report that held some of his nuclear-based threats as violations of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.We've assembled nine instances where Trump or members of his administration have threatened to use military force against other countries this year.1. Trump rang in the new year with a nuclear button-measuring contest with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ' which was widely viewed as an actual nuclear threat.To be fair, Kim Jong Un started it when he said a nuclear button is "always on my desk."Trump tweeted in response: "Will someone from [Jong Un's] depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"These types of threats have been evaluated as violations of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. A nuclear watchdog reported in October that North Korea, Russia, and the United States are the only three countries in the world who have repeatedly threatened to use nuclear force, and have cited Trump's tweeted statements as examples.2. In another tweet, Trump warned "President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price ... to pay"Trump made the threat on April 8, after a suspected chemical attack against civilians in Douma, Syria.Days later, the US launched more than 118 missiles in response to the attack.3. Of plans to denuclearize North Korea, National Security Advisor John Bolton said, "I think we're looking at the Libya model of 2003, 2004."North Korea did not take Bolton's statement inlate April lightly, and Trump ultimately backed out of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.Many took the reference as a direct threat, as the Libyan revolution toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, whose violent death at the hands of rebel fighters was captured on video.Trump and the North Korean regime would ultimately sit-down for peace talks in June that thawed the tensions between the historic enemies.Read more: A bizarre, threatening statement from Trump's hawkish security advisor may have derailed the North Korea talksSee the rest of the story at Business Insider
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