The former military aide who carried the nuclear codes during the Clinton administration called former President Donald Trump "the least of our worries" and put the spotlight on President Joe Biden instead.
Buzz Patterson, who carried the briefcase with one of the nation's most closely guarded secrets, also known as the "nuclear football," countered a post that Representative Eric Swalwell made to X, formerly Twitter, about the national security risk that Trump would pose if he were to be elected president in 2024.
Referring to the four indictments issued against Trump this year, the Democrat from California wrote, "Trump is prohibited from buying a gun. But if he wins next November he owns our nuclear arsenal. Let's not screw this up."
Federal gun laws prohibit the selling of firearms to people who are under indictment for crimes that carry sentences of more than a year and bar indicted defendants from receiving weapons across state lines.
Patterson, however, disagreed, telling Swalwell early Thursday, "Bro, I used to carry the 'football' for Clinton. You probably don't even know what that is. Trump is the least of our worries. Right now, Captain Applesauce has the codes. Worry about that."
"The nuclear launch process requires a POTUS with sound mind and body. I'm not sure Biden fits the bill, and I wonder who actually has the codes," Patterson told Newsweek.
The Pentagon declined Newsweek's request for comment.
Patterson, who is a Republican, has defended Trump on the topic of nuclear codes in the past.
When Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort was raided in August 2022, and some questioned if the former president took the codes with him to his property in Florida after leaving the Oval Office, Patterson hit back, tweeting, "For those who buy the lie that President Trump 'stole' nuclear codes. It doesn't work like that. Codes change when presidents change. It's not that intriguing."
"Just a reminder, but Bill Clinton actually LOST the nuclear codes during my tenure with him. We weren't raided," he added.
Patterson previously recalled the incident with Clinton with veteran and military culture website Coffee or Die, saying in a 2018 interview, "I was floored—and so was the Pentagon. It had never happened before."
He's also previously used the term "Captain Applesauce" to describe Biden, seemingly referring to the president's age and making a jab at his mental fitness.
On Tuesday, Patterson retweeted a video of Biden stumbling on the stairs of Air Force One with the caption, "Captain Applesauce can't handle the little stairs. Imagine what China, Russia, and Iran are thinking."
In another post from April, the former military aide reposted a video of wedding attendees at Mar-a-Lago cheering on Trump's surprise visit, writing "Can you imagine Captain Applesauce getting this reception?"
Questions surrounding the president's ability to run the country have also emerged as a major factor for voters, who appear unconvinced that Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, is mentally strong enough to hold the highest office.
A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) poll released Thursday found that forty percent of Americans say Biden's age would strongly inform their vote and that 52 percent say they're very concerned about his cognitive health and its impact on his performance as president. Only 13 percent said they have no concerns about Biden's health. Another poll released by NBC News on Sunday also showed that 74 percent of Americans have concerns about Biden's mental and physical capacity to be president.
Update 09/28/23 12:48 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Buzz Patterson.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
