During a recent Fox News interview, US President Donald Trump generated controversy when he said he was going to say “the N-word” on television.
He immediately made clear that he meant to say “nuclear,” and not the racial epithet usually linked to the word. This comment came in the course of explaining a close call to nuclear war between India and Pakistan, which Trump said he had worked to defuse.
He said, “Next, it’s gonna be you know what? The N-word. The nuclear. It’s the N word. It’s a very nasty word in lot of ways. The N word used in the Nuclear sense is the worst thing that can happen.”
Trump remarked while discussing a May 10 truce between nuclear-capable India and Pakistan. He spoke of the rising tensions moving toward “the n-word,” explaining that by the “N-word,” he was referring to “nuclear.”
His words were significant in light of previous accusations of his use of the racial slur form of the word. Trump declared that the “n-word” in a nuclear context is a threat of disaster.
The use of the term “N-word” in a non-racial environment, even employing it as “nuclear,” was attacked and reminded people about Trump’s past.
In 2024, ex-“Apprentice” producer Bill Pruitt stated that Trump invoked the racial epithet on the set of the show, aimed at Black contender Kwame Jackson. Pruitt said he had the incident tape-recorded, but it has yet to be released.
Also, Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, and nephew, Fred Trump III, have both shared stories implying a history of racist insults within the Trump family.
Mary Trump spoke about the dismissal of the slur at home in their grandparents’ household, while Fred Trump III described an event in the early 1970s when Donald Trump purportedly used the slur after learning of the vandalism on his car.
Political Implications of Saying the Controversial N-Word
The Biden campaign has before referred to Trump as a “textbook racist” after claiming that he used derogatory slurs. Trump’s recent statement, although for “nuclear,” has been condemned for its insensitivity, particularly in view of his past background and current accusations.
In short, although Trump explained that his “N-word” was “nuclear,” the use of the phrase has reopened debate on his history and questioned whether the language is appropriate for public discussion.
