Donald Trump’s Loose Lips

Donald Trump seems to have an odd habit of sharing highly classified information with questionable people.

Donald Trump Shrug

Donald Trump seems to be very liberal about deciding who to share classified information with. First, we learn that he revealed highly classified information that had apparently been provided to us by Israel to the Russian Foreign Minister and Russia’s Ambassador to the U.S. during a meeting in the Oval Office earlier this month. Now, he’s apparently sharing information about the location of American nuclear submarines with the President of The Philippines:

Pentagon officials are in shock after the release of a transcript between President Donald Trump and his Philippines counterpart reveals that the US military had moved two nuclear submarines towards North Korea

“We never talk about subs!” three officials told BuzzFeed News, referring to the military’s belief that keeping submarines’ movement stealth is key to their mission.

While the US military will frequently announce the deployment of aircraft carriers, it is far more careful when discussing the movement of nuclear submarines. Carriers are hard to miss, and that in part, is a reason the US military deploys them. They are a physical show of forces. Submarines are, at times, a furtive complement to the carriers, a hard-to-detect means of strategic deterrence.

According to a transcript of the call, released Wednesday, Trump called Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte April 29 to discuss, in part, the rising threat from North Korea. During that call, while discussing ways to mitigate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions, Trump said: “We have two submarines – the best in the world – we have two nuclear submarines – not that we want to use them at all. I’ve never seen anything like they are but we don’t have to use this but [Kim] could be crazy so we will see what happens.”

During the same call, Trump also called the North Korea leader a “madman with nuclear weapons” and celebrated Duterte for doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem,” even as the Filipino leader has supported the alleged extrajudicial killing of 8,000 people since taking office in June, part of his purge to rid his nation of drugs. Duterte has bragged about committing murder himself, called former President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch” and once threatened to suspend the bilateral agreement between his nation and the United States that allows US troops to visit the Philippines.

“Keep up [the] good work, you are doing an amazing job,” Trump told Duterte during the call.

A US official who had previously seen a version of the transcript confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the published version appeared accurate.

By announcing the presence of nuclear submarines, the president, some Pentagon officials privately explained, gives away the element of surprise — an irony given his repeated declarations during the campaign that the US announces far too many of its military plans when it comes to combatting ISIS.

Moreover, some countries in the region, particularly China, seek to develop their anti-sub capability. Knowing that two US submarines are in the region could allow them to test their own military capabilities.

Finally, it is unclear why Duterte would need to know the specific number of subs in the region. The Philippines is not a part US military efforts to deter North Korea so why would Duterte need to know such details?

In the past, the US Navy has acknowledged that nuclear submarines were part of a deploying strike group. By doing so, the public knows the general deployment schedule regional destination. But saying that submarines are in the region is not the same as saying how many there are and that they are near North Korea, as Trump did during the phone call. Strikes groups don’t stick together and sail as one big unit but can break off as needed.

As President, Trump has the authority to decide on his own whether and to whom to reveal classified information without worrying about legal consequences since the President is the ultimate authority when it comes to deciding such matters. All that means, though, is that what Trump did either in this case or in the case of the information provided to the Russians wasn’t illegal. That doesn’t answer the question of whether or not it was the wise or prudent thing to do. As noted above, the location of America’s nuclear submarines is a closely held secret precisely for the reason that they depend on secrecy to carry out their primary mission of being the silent part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent force, a mission that depends on potential adversaries not knowing where our submarines might be at any given time. Revealing those locations, not just to President Duterte, but also to the general public thanks to the White House release of the transcript of Trump’s call with him, would seem to be an unwise decision.

Additionally, Trump’s decision of whom to share classified information with reflects badly on his judgment. While there may be some circumstances where it might arguably be in our interests to reveal classified information to other nations. Indeed, we have intelligence sharing agreements with many of our European allies that allow for the mutual exchange of intelligence in order to provide for the common defense contemplated by organizations such as NATO. The Philippines, however, is not one of those nations and it’s highly uncertain how much we can actually trust the current President of that nation given his internal policies and the manner in which he has openly mocked the United States and its leadership in the past. Entrusting such a person with highly secret information such as submarine deployments seems questionable at best. And, of course, Trump’s decision to share classified information with Russian officials is even more questionable, especially since the information he shared could, according to experts, be used to identify intelligence assets that we or the Israelis may have inside Syria that the Russians could in turn share with their allies in Damascus. Why Trump would choose to reveal classified information to people such as this is a question that calls his judgment into doubt.

The other possibility, of course, is that Trump either doesn’t know how to properly handle classified information or that he is careless with how he handles it. In both of the cases here, for example, it appears from the context of the conversations that he was revealing the information as a way of boasting rather than for any real strategic or tactical reason. In fact, that explanation seems more plausible than the idea that a supposedly responsible President would suddenly decide to reveal secret information to two Russian officials and an untrustworthy President from The Phillippines. Of course, that just raises even more doubts about his judgment.

It’s only Day 125, my friends.

FILED UNDER: Intelligence, National Security, US Politics, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. CSK says:

    Here’s the explanation: He does this to make himself look like a big man. The biggest badass on the block

    Oh sure, he has poor judgment. Of course he has no idea of how to handle sensitive information. But there’s more to it than that. This–blabbing military secrets to a homicidal thug he admires–is exactly what a desperately insecure buffoon does to prove that he’s tough.

  2. michael reynolds says:

    1) Donald Trump is not capable of ever considering anything but his narrow self-interest. He will therefore do or say anything at any time if he thinks it helps him.

    2) Trump is ineducable. He does not learn. He cannot learn. Learning requires an awareness of ignorance and he is not capable of it.

    3) Trump is not president of the United States, he’s just Trump. There is no United States to Trump, there is only Trump. (See Point #1.) Being elected was just ego-validation, it imposed no responsibilities on Trump.

    It is very hard for normal human beings to grasp the shallowness of Trump’s mind. Normal people have a range of emotions, he does not, he just has anger, self-pity and insecurity. Normal people have empathy, he does not. Normal people think their word should mean something, he does not care in the slightest. His contempt for voters (justified so far) is such that he has zero concern for lying or flip-flopping or even making sense.

    This is not a normal person. Trump is a disturbed individual with serious personality issues. He’s a psychopath. (Pretend you’re Trump and try taking the psychopath quiz. He’d get a near-perfect score.)

  3. Joe says:

    Of course, that just raises even more doubts about his judgment.

    I have no doubt he has no judgment. I am out of doubts in that regard. It is impossible for Trump to raise more.

  4. M. Bouffant says:

    we have two nuclear submarines – not that we want to use them at all

    I’m curious if Trump was referring to the two hunter-killer/attack subs (which he probably just heard about) that would be w/ the two carrier groups allegedly in the Korean area & if he thinks they are ballistic-missile launching subs rather than protect-the-carriers subs.

  5. Daryl's other brother Darryl says:

    What do you expect from a guy that brags about grabbing women’s pussies?
    That he’s going to keep a secret about his yyuuuugge subs”?
    Or his really great intel?
    Dumb Don is a puerile little toddler…if there was a single Republican with any balls he would be on his way out of office already. Unfortunately there is not a single Republican with any balls.

  6. gVOR08 says:

    @michael reynolds:

    Donald Trump is not capable of ever considering anything but his narrow self-interest.

    And apparently that only within the moment. No thought for consequences, even to himself.

  7. pylon says:

    According to the British Home Secretary, the Trump admin leaked info about the method and name of the bomber ahead of time, thus hindering the investigation.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/23/trump-administration-manchester-bomber-name-leak

  8. Moosebreath says:

    “The Philippines, however, is not one of those nations and it’s highly uncertain how much we can actually trust the current President of that nation given his internal policies and the manner in which he has openly mocked the United States and its leadership in the past.”

    You are not looking at this from Trump’s perspective. Duterte’s internal policies and his open mocking of the US when it was being led by Obama are recommendations from Trump’s point of view. It shows that Duterte and Trump look at the world in the same manner, and is therefore, by definition, trustworthy.

  9. gVOR08 says:

    @M. Bouffant:

    I’m curious if Trump was referring to the two hunter-killer/attack subs (which he probably just heard about) that would be w/ the two carrier groups allegedly in the Korean area & if he thinks they are ballistic-missile launching subs rather than protect-the-carriers subs

    Quite possible I would think. There’d be no reason for the boomers to approach. If they can hit China or Russia from wherever they are in the Pacific or unde the ice, they can also hit N Korea. However, don’t the attack subs in the carrier task groups have some cruise missile capability? As do, I assume, several of the surface units.

    Around the time someone said ‘we have missile subs and attack subs, and the attack subs also have missiles’, Trump would be losing it unless someone said “Trump”.

  10. Daryl's other brother Darryl says:
  11. Paul L. says:

    US military had moved two nuclear submarines towards North Korea

    Does not give the precise location of the submarine. So can you point to a map and tell me where the submarines are?

    the location of America’s nuclear submarines is a closely held secret precisely for the reason that they depend on secrecy to carry out their primary mission of being the silent part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent force

    As a former Submariner, Doug is full of it and overreacting.
    Unless he believes that announcing when a submarine docks in port is illegal.
    http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/24/north-korea-tensions-uss-michigan-submarine-to-enter-south-korean-port.html

  12. Tony W says:

    I’ve worked with people who have weakness/ego like Trump (not to that level, but the point remains). Information is power – but only when they can prove they have the information by divulging it to show how powerful/smart/in-the-know they are to others. It’s super important that every knows.

    OPSEC 101 is to not entrust people like that with national security stuff for just this reason.

    My concern, and perhaps a more interesting discussion, is around the downstream effects of such a President. Does the intelligence community stop sharing intel with the President? Are they more selective? Do they share information with trusted NSC and Joint Chiefs people who are then entrusted to steer the president the right direction?

    It feels like a cheap movie.

  13. CSK says:

    @Daryl’s other brother Darryl:

    Probably not too far from the truth.

  14. dazedandconfused says:

    It’s why I would bet he didn’t collude with the Russians during the election. The FSB would assess him as a blabbermouth and a buffoon. They can help him without say a word to him about it and would be far less likely to do so if he had asked them. The appear to have attempted to help Bernie to so my best guess is their mission was “anyone but Hillary”.

    Nevertheless these very same traits would spark an instinctive urge to attempt to compromise him or some of his staff. Low hanging fruit.

  15. TM01 says:

    We should compare the number of times Trump has revealed sensitive information to the number times other presidents have done the same thing, just to get an idea of HOW MUCH WORSE Trump is.

    Someone has that data, right?

  16. Lit3Bolt says:

    @michael reynolds:

    He’s not just a dumb psychopath. He’s a dumb psycho with an inferiority complex and daddy issues, so he perceives every “strong guy” as his father, Fred, and either craves approval from them or irrationally fears them.

  17. Smooth Jazz says:

    “Donald Trump’s Loose Lips”

    This is rich. This far left blog thinks the Donald has loose lips, but thinks its OK for Obama to promise “Vladimir” he would have more flexibility after the 2012 election during that infamous hot mike moment with former Russian President Medvedev . Btw, the word hypocrite is spelled with a capital H for you far left cranks.

  18. TM01 says:
  19. An Interested Party says:

    Oh my, the Trump Toadies are out in force…so let’s get this straight, the responses (so far) to what this buffoon did are:
    1. You sillies are overreacting!
    2. Let’s compare Trump to every other president (apparently not bearing in mind that this idiot is the only president we have at the current time).
    3. Look at what Obama did (once again, apparently not considering that the Orange Mange is the only president we have right now)!

    Christ on a cracker! Speaking of which, all of this really makes Mike Pence look great by comparison, as scary as that is…

  20. HarvardLaw92 says:

    @Smooth Jazz:

    So, in essence, your point is that Obama should have been impeached too, but wasn’t because the Republicans evidently didn’t care enough to bother – so, Trump deserves to be impeached as well?

    I do have to admit that watching you guys realize that he’s likely to bring your party down to its knees is the most satisfying thing I have seen all day

  21. HarvardLaw92 says:

    OT: CBO scoring is in on the Republican Healthcare Abortion

    23 million expected to lose health coverage if it’s implemented as passed by the House.

    Methinks there is going to be an epidemic of indigestion going around in the Senate.

  22. dmichael says:

    @Paul L.: As a former submariner, I disagree with your comments. You cite a month old Fox News TV report about the “armada” that Trump had erroneously stated as then heading to the international waters off the Korean peninsula. The report actually concerned the docking of a missile submarine for a “hull check.” Noting the location of submarines when operating, whether fast attack or missile subs, is a confirmation of intelligence that threatens their effectiveness. Get real.

  23. Hal_10000 says:

    OK, yes Trump bad judgement; yes Trump is an idiot. I agree with all of the above.

    But …

    Am I the only one getting uncomfortable with press reports that publicly reveal the very classified information that Trump did? I mean, maybe I’m splitting hairs here but it seems to be this report could have said, “there was classified info that we’ve redacted” rather than “we have subs off North Korea”. I felt the same discomfort with the reporting on Trump’s leak to the Russians and where it came from. AFAIK, the Russians didn’t publicly reveal that information but the press did. It’s not a crime, obviously. But I’m not 100% OK with it.

    I’m not trolling here. I’m willing to listen if someone explains to me why this isn’t a big deal. And I know this is talking point of the Trumpistas but, in this case … I kinda think they have a point, no?

  24. TM01 says:

    @Hal_10000: Good luck HAL. Taking down Trump is Paramount. Who cares if National security is actually compromised? Trump can do no right and must be analyzed in a vacuum.

    And yes, the media providing details is much worse than Trump allegedly telling the Russians something in a controlled environment.

  25. TM01 says:

    @HarvardLaw92:
    Where did I say Obama should have been impeached?
    You leftists are specifically criticizing Trump for revealing classified information in a controlled setting, and calling him completely out of control, and should be removed from office. You act as if Trump is the only President ever to say something he shouldn’t have. And YOU are the one talking impeachment. I presume you believe Obama should have been impeached as well.

  26. TM01 says:

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3643187/theresa-may-to-demand-answers-from-donald-trump-manchester-terror-attack/

    The Brits should be upset.
    And President Trump should come home and kick some ass and start throwing these leakers in prison.

  27. Just 'nutha ig'nint cracker says:

    @CSK: Exactly! Trump is in an endless, for him anyway, game of “Quien es mas Macho” and needs to show that he is, always, muy mas macho! “La mayoria de los machos” if you will. (For some reason, the gender of the superlative seems wrong to me, but it’s what Google Translate provided. Feel free to correct me if I am right about being wrong.)

  28. DrDaveT says:

    @TM01:

    And President Trump should come home and kick some ass and start throwing these leakers in prison.

    Presumably you also think Ted Kaczynski was not so bad, but his family should be jailed for ratting him out?

  29. Lynn says:

    @Paul L.: “As a former Submariner, Doug is full of it and overreacting.

    Your dangling participle has me confused. Which of you is a former submariner?

  30. Mr. Bluster says:

    And President Trump should come home and kick some ass and start throwing these leakers in prison.

    Screw that! President Pud needs to get his boyfriend Rodrigo to stop the leaks coming out of Republika ng Pilipinas!

    theintercept.com

  31. Mr. Bluster says:
  32. Lynn says:

    @Mr. Bluster: “@Lynn:..…dangling participle…”

    Nice of you to define it for him.

  33. Mr. Bluster says:

    @Lynn:

    One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.
    How he got into my pajamas I’ll never know.
    Groucho Marx

    So you are the English teacher. Does this count?

  34. Joe says:

    @Hal_10000:

    Am I the only one getting uncomfortable with press reports that publicly reveal the very classified information that Trump did?

    I understand your wariness, but this information came from the WH’s published transcript of the call.

  35. Mr. Bluster says:

    @Joe:..as I posted above I have seen transcript published by the Office of American Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.

    If there is another one that has been leaked from United States Government is there a link?

  36. Hal_10000 says:

    @Joe:

    I understand your wariness, but this information came from the WH’s published transcript of the call.

    I hadn’t read that part yet (getting caught up on each day of Trump revelation is exhausting).

  37. HarvardLaw92 says:

    Sort of OT: It appears that Sessions engaged in material deception on his SF-86, specifically that he failed to report his foreign contacts.

    I guess he missed this verbiage at the end of the form when he certified it:

    I have read the instructions and I understand that if I withhold, misrepresent, or falsify information on this form, I am subject to the penalties for inaccurate or false statement (per U.S. Criminal Code, Title 18, section 1001), denial or revocation of a security clearance, and/or removal and debarment from Federal service.

    These people aren’t even competent criminals …

  38. HarvardLaw92 says:

    @TM01:

    Where did I say Obama should have been impeached?

    Who said that you did? I was replying to Smooth Jazz.

    Hmm, are you also Smooth Jazz? 😀

    (That’s the problem with constructing doppelgangers – eventually you’ll forget which name you’re using …)

  39. Jen says:

    Regarding leakers, the most important thing Trump could do in regards to that problem is to stop crapping on his staff. His behavior thus far has demonstrated that he believes they are all expendable. By all public accounts, most of them are exhausted, angry, and depressed. There are few things quite as defeating as realizing not only does your boss *not* have your back, it is virtually assured that he will blame you for HIS problems, HIS failures, and HIS screw-ups.

    Trump’s gross incompetence could well be a decent defense for leaks, I think. Those who swear to uphold the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic cannot look at Trump’s track record thus far and not realize that he is a danger to the Republic.

  40. KM says:

    @Hal

    I’m not trolling here. I’m willing to listen if someone explains to me why this isn’t a big deal. And I know this is talking point of the Trumpistas but, in this case … I kinda think they have a point, no?

    Because the information is already out there. At this point, all the media is doing is repeating known information that was released elsewhere – they’re are hardly breaking news when Trump blabs it himself. Worrying about closing the barn door after the horse ran in the Derby is a strange use of time. Now, if they were pre-preemptively releasing classified info – that would be a different story. Leakers are only a problem when they are leaking things you haven’t already shared with the world.

    Additionally, its *incredibly* easy for the Trump-inclined to dismiss vague statements like “there was classified info that we’ve redacted” as FAKE NEWS or NBD. Remember, these are the kind of folks who believe a building with no basement has a child dungeon down there or Manchester’s tragedy was a coverup for a supposed hit on a murdered DNC employee. The amount of leeway Trump gets is remarkable so you really have to pound home what a fwckup he is at every turn. Yes, he leaked intel. Yes, it was bad. Yes, this is exactly what he said. Yes, it really is as terrible as the liberals are saying so no, its not a hit piece. Yes, he does this often and will do it again. Now what, voters?

  41. teve tory says:

    @Smooth Jazz:

    Smooth Jazz says:
    Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 18:25
    “Donald Trump’s Loose Lips”

    This is rich. This far left blog

    I keep telling James to knock it off with the Che t-shirts, but he can’t hear me over the noise of doug’s #OCCUPY protests.

  42. michael reynolds says:

    @TM01:
    Why are you still too cowardly to answer a question?

    Why won’t you tell us why Trump fired Comey?

    Grow a pair or go away.

  43. michael reynolds says:

    @HarvardLaw92:

    I’ve said, as a former criminal myself, the tradecraft of these guys is just shocking. It’s one of the big reasons I expect the whole story will come out – they’re way too dumb to pull off a decent cover-up.

  44. SenyorDave says:

    @teve tory: I keep telling James to knock it off with the Che t-shirts, but he can’t hear me over the noise of doug’s #OCCUPY protests.

    I’d love to get an “Outside the Beltway” Che shirt. It would go well with my National Review “Free Mumia” cap.

  45. Daryl's other brother Darryl says:

    @Lynn:
    @Paul L.:

    Which of you is a former submariner?

    Um…which one do you think enjoys long period of time in a confined space with a bunch of men?(which was most likely when an old white guy, like Paul, must have served)

  46. Pch101 says:

    Manchester attack: Police not sharing information with US

    Police investigating the Manchester Arena bomb attack have stopped sharing information with the US after leaks to the media…

    …Greater Manchester Police hope to resume normal intelligence relationships – a two-way flow of information – soon but is currently “furious”, the BBC understands.

    Its chief constable Ian Hopkins said the recent leak had caused “much distress for families that are already suffering terribly with their loss.”.

    The force – which is leading the investigation on the ground – gives its information to National Counter-Terrorism, which then shares it across government and – because of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement – with the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-40040210
    __________

    Trumpistas are too oblivious to understand something this basic, but when you prove to your friends that you can’t be trusted, then guess what? They stop trusting you.

    Trump is a liar to the core, so it should be a matter of time before US allies withhold information from the US because they don’t want him to go blabbing it. So thanks to Trump, the US will be kept in the dark. Well done, morons.

  47. michael reynolds says:

    @Hal_10000:

    I see the leaks as a desperate warning cry from people who know how dangerous Trump is to US security. When you know the president is a malignant incompetent who lives in Putin’s pocket, leaking is an act of patriotism.

    Of course that’s one bunch of leaks. The rest come either from Trump (Hey, wanna know where our subs are?) or from inside Trump’s snake pit of a White House.

  48. DrDaveT says:

    Donald Trump seems to be very liberal about deciding who to share classified information with.

    I don’t think this word means what you think it does.

    Trump is not ‘liberal’, in either the political or the general sense. He is indiscriminate — which is something totally different.