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When The Chinese Almost Got Hold Of Trump’s Nuclear Button
US President Donald Trump with the ‘nuclear football’ in the backdrop. (Olivier Doulier/Pool via Getty Images)
United States President Donald Trump’s state visit to China, in November last year, saw an unlikely tussle of sorts erupt between Chinese security officials and US Secret Service agents over President Trump’s ‘nuclear football’, Business Insider has reported.
The ‘nuclear football’ or ‘atomic football’ is a black leather briefcase carried by US Secret Service agents, whose contents can be used by the US President to authorise nuclear strikes when away from command centres. The briefcase is to kept close to the US President at all times.
However, during Trump’s visit to the Great Hall of the People, when meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese security officials tried to block the aide carrying the briefcase from entering.
President Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly rushed to the scuffle and ordered the US agents to keep moving. “We’re moving in,” he said. A Chinese official then grabbed Kelly, who shoved off his hand. The Chinese official was then tackled to the ground by another US security agent.
The US officials were asked to keep “quiet” about the whole affair. Although the Chinese officials reportedly never touched the briefcase, head of the Chinese security detail later apologised for the diplomatic gaffe.
President Trump had warned the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of his ‘nuclear button’ earlier this year through Twitter,
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