Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would be a danger to the U.S. and the rest of the world if he were to win the White House, one of Hillary Clinton's top advisors said in comments Monday.
Jake Sullivan, the likely Democratic candidate's senior policy advisor, told listeners at New York's Asia Society that Trump is "unlike any candidate we have seen before" among all who have advanced so far toward a major-party nomination for president. And he did not mean that as a compliment, alleging that the New York businessman is "a dangerous proposition to be the U.S. commander-in-chief."
Sullivan warned that Trump's rhetoric about how it may be necessary for other countries to acquire nuclear weapons runs the risk of sparking a global nuclear arms race. That, in turn, could see such weapons falling into the hands of terrorists, which is the "greatest threat" the U.S. faces.
No matter which of his proposals are disregarded as pure politics, and which are taken seriously, "the picture that is painted is one of a tremendously dangerous risk," he added.
Trump spokeswomen did not immediately available to respond to emails requesting comment.
Sullivan, who is one of Clinton's top policy brains, acknowledged that analyzing Trump's ideas is no simple task.
"It's very, very difficult to pin down where he stands" on key foreign policy issues, Sullivan said, pointing to Trump's apparently contradictory viewpoints on certain topics, such as on the one hand his contention that China is "eating our lunch," but on the other hand his assertions that the U.S. holds the leverage in the relationship.
Other potentially contradictory opinions, he said, include Trump's promises to sit down with the Russian government and also shoot down its fighter jets, and his views on whether the U.S. should be doing more or less in the world at large.
Unlike Trump, Clinton has yet to secure her party's nomination. Although political pundits say her Democratic delegate lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is nearly insurmountable, her rival has pledged to continue fighting.
Still, she has attempted to focus on the general election as Trump seeks to unify the post-primary Republican party behind his campaign.