Donald Trump on having the nuclear codes: ‘It’s very scary in a sense’

MUCH of the world is still pretty scared of Donald Trump’s presidency. It’s not comforting to know he’s terrified as well.

DONALD Trump has revealed how he felt when he was given the nuclear codes for the first time.

In his first major interview since taking office, a journalist for the US’s ABC News, David Muir, asked Mr Trump to describe the moment he was given the secret information.

“When they explain what it represents and the kind of destruction you’re talking about, it is a very sobering moment, yes. Yes it’s very scary in a sense,” he told Muir.

Muir asked if it kept him up at night, but Mr Trump said it didn’t because he has every confidence he would do the right job.

“But it’s a very scary thing,” he said.

In his first White House interview, Donald Trump tells ABC journalist David Muir how he felt when he was given the nuclear codes. Picture: ABC News

In the interview, the president repeated his claim that the media got it wrong on the size of the crowd watching his inauguration.

Mr Trump also detailed more about his cabinet’s plans to veto immigrants, including those from Muslim backgrounds, and how he didn’t think it would create anger because the world was already angry enough.

The President also reiterated his claims of voter fraud in the November election, and promised to send the feds into Chicago, which he described as being like a “war zone”.

Here’s what else we learnt from the wideranging interview.

TRUMP IS OBSESSED WITH THE CROWD SIZE AT THE INAUGURATION

The President maintained people loved his inauguration speech and again claimed to have “the biggest crowd in the history of inaugural speeches”.

Muir asked the President if polls and crowd size mattered now that he was in the chair.

“I had a massive amount of people here,” he said.

“They were showing pictures that were very unflattering, as unflattering — from certain angles — that were taken early and lots of other things. I’ll show you a picture later if you’d like of a massive crowd.

Mr Trump spoke on a range of subjects in his first interview from the White House with David Muir.

“In terms of a total audience, including television and everything else that you have, we had supposedly the biggest crowd in history. The audience watching the show. And I think you would even agree to that. They say I had the biggest crowd in the history of inaugural speeches.”

Muir replied that he wasn’t really interested in the crowd size.

“I think the American people can look at images side-by-side and decide for themselves,” he said before asking the President why on his first full day at the White House, his press secretary Sean Spicer summoned reporters to talk about it.

The journalist then asked Mr Trump if it sent a message to the American people that this issue more important than others.

Mr Trump said he wouldn’t allow the media to demean the crowd who attended on the day.

The President also pointed to framed pictures of the inauguration crowd hung inside the White House to back up his claims.

‘THE WORLD IS ANGRY AS IT GETS’

Muir asked about Mr Trump’s sweeping executive action to suspend immigration from particular countries, questioning whether it was a Muslim ban.

Mr Trump denied this, saying it was about “countries that have tremendous terror”.

President Donald Trump said his executive orders on immigration were about keeping America safe. Picture: Matt Rourke/AP

However, when pressed on what exact countries this involved, Mr Trump said all would be revealed soon.

“You’re looking at people that come in, in many cases, in some cases with evil intentions. I don’t want that,” he said. “They’re ISIS (Islamic State). They’re coming under false pretence. I don’t want that.”

Mr Trump said he would look at making safe zones in Syria but said Europe, and Germany in particular, had made a massive mistake in allowing so many refugees into the country.

Muir quizzed him further about why certain countries wouldn’t be on the list, but Mr Trump said it would be “extreme vetting in call cases”.

“We are excluding certain countries. But for other countries we’re gonna have extreme vetting,” Mr Trump said. “It’s going to be very hard to come in. Right now it’s very easy to come in. It’s gonna be very, very hard. I don’t want terror in this country.”

Muir asked Mr Trump if he was concerned this move would spark anger in Muslim countries.

“There’s plenty of anger right now,” the President said. “How can you have more?

“The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets. What? You think this is gonna cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place.”

Mr Trump, pictured at the Philadelphia International Airport before speaking at the Republican Congressional retreat, says he has a lot of work ahead of him. Picture: Matt Slocum/AP

‘WE HAVE A LOT TO LOOK INTO’

Mr Trump again called for an investigation into widespread voter fraud, even though no evidence exists that it took place and some reports have debunked the claims.

Mr Trump said that “when you look at the people that are registered — dead, illegal and two states and some cases maybe three states — we have a lot to look into.”

Muir pointed out that House Speaker Paul Ryan and others had said there was no evidence and proof, questioning whether it mattered now anyway.

“The people that voted for me, lots of people are saying they saw things happen. I heard stories also,” Mr Trump said.

“But you’re not talking about millions. But it’s a small little segment. I will tell you, it’s a good thing what we’re doing because at the end we’re going to have an idea as to what’s going on.”

‘IT’S HORRIBLE CARNAGE’

The President also reiterated earlier statements that he would send in federal police if law enforcement agencies did not get the violence under control in the city of Chicago.

Comparing the mid-western city to a war zone because of a spike in gun violence that caused hundreds of deaths last year, Mr Trump said he would love to help those living there.

“Chicago is like a war zone,” he said.

“It is carnage. It’s horrible carnage.”

Just this month, the Chicago Police Department revealed there had been 762 murders in the city of more than 2.7 million inhabitants last year, representing more than two murders a day.

In addition, 3550 shooting incidents were reported with a police spokesman describing the numbers as “unacceptable”, according to German press agency DPA.

Police blame gangs and illegal guns on the street for the violence.