.@POTUS says U.S. nuclear arsenal is ‘stronger, more powerful than ever before’ amid North Korea threat https://t.co/kd2dZlhS8U pic.twitter.com/CW6dqXggA2

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 9, 2017

Trump’s a legend in his own mind and thinks that if he says something that it means it’s true. Fox is just repeating the lies.

— lawhawk (@lawhawk) August 9, 2017

Again, this is another one of those easily verifiable things that Fox simply wont do and counter Trump’s agitprop. Trump thinks that the US arsenal is stronger and more powerful? By size, it’s down from the 1980s peak level. By capabilities, it too is down from the peak if you look at warheads, overall throw weight (total megatonnage).

Trump’s just hyping his own nonsense and figures Fox will repeat without comment or checking. Trump’s right about that - Fox is an agitprop outlet that isn’t doing anything other than pushing Trump’s nonsense.

What Trump doesn’t get is that a powerful country doesn’t have to remind anyone of that fact. It just does what it has always done - not screwing over our allies, not ragging on our friends, and making sure that potential threats are contained. Trump’s overreaction to North Korea pulling Trump’s strings is entirely predictable and was intended to get the US to focus on North Korea so that the North can extract concessions. That’s the same game they’ve played for years. Trump’s left himself no room from here - threatening nuclear war doesn’t leave any way to reduce the tensions without looking like he’s been played.

This is a rookie mistake from the top negotiator Trump. Bully and bluster doesn’t work with a guy who knows all the games and has mastered them all.