Former President Donald Trump issued a statement Thursday in response to a report saying Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., worried Trump might start a nuclear war during his final days in office.
The Washington Post, citing a new book on the Trump administration, quoted Pelosi telling Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that, "This guy’s crazy. He’s dangerous. He’s a maniac."
Trump said Pelosi is the crazy one.
"Nancy Pelosi is a known nut job," the former president said. "Her enraged quotes that she was afraid that I would use nuclear weapons is just more of the same.
"In fact, I was the one that got us out of wars, not into wars. And I was the one who got respect for our Country again, not like now when the leaders of the entire World are laughing at us. They didn’t laugh when I was there!"
Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker have written "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year." In it, according to the Post, they say Pelosi phoned Milley following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
After the speaker expressed her concerns, Milley reportedly told Pelosi, "Ma'am, I guarantee you that we have checks and balances in the system."
Less than a week later, as military and law enforcement leaders planned for President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Milley reportedly said he was determined to avoid a repeat of Jan. 6.
"Everyone in this room, whether you’re a cop, whether you’re a soldier, we're going to stop these guys to make sure we have a peaceful transfer of power," MIlley told them, according to the book. "We’re going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren’t getting in."
At Biden’s swearing in ceremony on Jan. 20, Milley sat behind former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who asked the general how he was feeling.
"No one has a bigger smile today than I do," Milley replied. "You can’t see it under my mask, but I do."
The Post reported that according to the book, Milley and other military officials feared Trump would attempt a coup to stay in power and considered resigning.
"They may try, but they're not going to f***ing succeed," Milley reportedly told his deputies. "You can't do this without the military. You can't do this without the CIA and the FBI. We're the guys with the guns."
The book said Milley believed Trump was "the classic authoritarian leader with nothing to lose," the Post said.
Milley, according to the book, described "a stomach-churning" feeling when he heard Trump discuss election fraud. The general went as far as comparing the situation to the 1933 attack on Germany’s parliament building that established Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship.
"This is a Reichstag moment," Milley told aides, according to the book. "The gospel of the Führer."
CNN first reported about portions of the book related to Milley on Wednesday night. The book is scheduled to be released Tuesday.
The book’s authors interviewed more than 140 people, including Trump himself for more than two hours, The Hill reported.
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