Tim Kaine Suggests That Donald Trump is a 'Fool or Maniac' on Nuclear Weapons

Pence told Kaine the comment was "even beneath you and Hillary Clinton."

ByABC News
October 4, 2016, 10:41 PM

— -- In tonight's vice presidential debate, Sen. Tim Kaine paraphrased a quote by Republican icon Ronald Reagan to suggest that Donald Trump may be a "fool or maniac" on nuclear weapons and someone who "could trigger a catastrophic event" -- prompting a response from Gov. Mike Pence that the comment was "even beneath you and Hillary Clinton."

Addressing their campaigns' different foreign policy positions at the debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kaine said, "Let me tell you what would really make the Middle East dangerous ... Donald Trump's idea that more nations should get nuclear weapons."

"Ronald Reagan said something really interesting about nuclear proliferation back in the 1980s -- he said the problem with nuclear proliferation is that some fool or maniac could trigger a catastrophic event," Kaine said. "And I think that's who Governor Pence's running mate is, Kaine said. "Exactly who Ronald Reagan warned us of."

Republican vice presidential nominee Pence responded, "Senator, that was even beneath you and Hillary Clinton. And that’s pretty low."

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