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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
World
Seneca Cabrera

Who Controls the Nuclear Codes? Concerns Raised Over Donald Trump and Presidential Authority

Donald Trump Larry Johnson CIA United States JD Vance Newsweek White House Iran Nuclear Weapons
Lawmakers sceptical of alleged Trump attempt to use nuclear codes (Credit: AFP News)

A viral claim that US President Donald Trump attempted to use US nuclear codes during a White House meeting has prompted scrutiny of how nuclear launch decisions are made and what checks exist on presidential authority.

The claim originated from comments by former CIA officer Larry Johnson during an April 2026 podcast interview, in which he described an alleged confrontation involving US nuclear authority. It has not been independently verified, and a White House spokesperson told Newsweek the claim was false.

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